ID :
181850
Fri, 05/13/2011 - 04:16
Auther :

Sexually harassed ex-soldier ruled as patriot: official

SEOUL, May 13 (Yonhap) -- In what may be a landmark decision, the veterans affairs body said Friday it has ruled as a patriot a 23-year-old man discharged from the military after he was sexually abused by a superior.
The man surnamed Lee is now eligible to receive a monthly compensation of about 320,000 won (US$290), an official at the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs said.
"No other soldier has been given the status of a patriot after being sexually harassed. This is the first such case," the official said.
Lee was diagnosed with trauma and discharged from the Army after a colonel sexually harassed him repeatedly while they were moving out of a resort for officers in July last year.
The colonel was convicted of sexually harassing another soldier in December while they were riding in the same vehicle. The military prosecution is appealing the verdict that sentenced the officer to a suspended one-year jail term.
No official figures exist as to the frequency of sexual harassment within military units in South Korea, which runs a conscription to deter aggression from North Korea.

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