Pregnant army captain miscarries after superior's harassment, abuse of authority

The South Korean military has launched an investigation after a pregnant army captain allegedly suffered verbal abuse and workplace harassment from a superior officer and subsequently miscarried.

According to the Army and other sources Monday, military inspectors are conducting an audit of Lt. Col. A, assigned to the Capital Corps.

Lt. Col. A is accused of verbally abusing and harassing subordinates — including Capt. B, a female officer — over whom he held performance evaluation authority as their department head, and of issuing improper orders.

The abuse allegedly continued even after Capt. B disclosed her pregnancy. When she said she intended to use the "maternity protection hours" policy — which allows pregnant service members two hours of leave per day — Lt. Col. A created an atmosphere of intimidation that ultimately prevented her from using the benefit.

He also allegedly required Capt. B to arrive early and carry documents up and down the stairs of a six-story building. He also insisted she wear full combat gear during training on the grounds that her pregnancy was not yet visibly apparent.

Capt. B, who had been struggling under the repeated abuse, experienced recurring bleeding and miscarried at 10 weeks.

After learning of the incident, the Army said it immediately removed Lt. Col. A from his post and has put protective measures in place for Capt. B.

"We take seriously all acts that violate human rights, including workplace harassment and verbal and physical abuse," the Army said. "We will take strict action in accordance with laws and regulations based on the findings of the investigation."

국힘, 긴급 최고위서 서울·경기·인천·울산·부산·전남광주 등 재선거 소청 의결

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