Court Orders Soldier Who Falsely Accused Navy NCO of Assault to Pay 26 Million Won in Damages

A court has ruled that a soldier, whose conviction for perjury and false accusation has been finalized after filing a false report that he was assaulted by a Navy non-commissioned officer (NCO) serving on the same ship, must pay 26 million won in damages to the NCO.

The Busan District Court's Western Branch (Judge Park Jun-min, presiding over Civil Single Division 1) announced today (Oct. 7) that in a damage suit filed by Navy NCO A against Soldier B, it ruled, "B shall pay 26 million won to A along with delayed damages."

According to the ruling, NCO A and Soldier B served as an armed NCO and an armed sailor, respectively, in the same patrol craft squadron under the Navy's 1st Fleet Command.

In May 2022, Soldier B exhibited impulsive behavior, such as kicking a structure and swearing in the ship's wardroom, and during an interview with the commanding officer, a lieutenant commander, falsely reported that he had been assaulted by NCO A.

Later, during the Navy Investigation Group's probe, he falsely stated that NCO A had poked his buttocks, thighs, and ribs multiple times with his finger because he was slow to climb the stairs, poked his ribs during naval gun maintenance work, and struck the back of his neck during shooting training.

However, as the allegations were revealed to be false, B was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for one year, along with 160 hours of community service, for false accusation in November 2024, and the verdict was finalized.

Judge Park recognized 11 million won spent by NCO A on hiring a lawyer to respond to the false accusation case as part of the damages.

In addition, considering the investigation period and the disadvantages to his status suffered during the investigation, the judge set the solatium (damages for emotional distress) at 15 million won.

Judge Park stated, "The solatium was determined by taking into account various circumstances, including the relationship between the plaintiff and the defendant, the background of the false accusation, the degree to which the accusations were false, the duration of the investigation into the plaintiff and the disadvantages to his status, and the circumstances following the false accusation."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.