Army Launches Investigation After Pregnant Captain Suffers Miscarriage Amid Alleged Harassment by Superior

The military has launched an investigation into allegations that a pregnant female Army captain suffered a miscarriage while enduring verbal abuse and harassment from her superior.

According to the military and the office of Representative Seong Il-jong on Monday (June 15), the Army is currently conducting an inspection of a lieutenant colonel assigned to the Capital Corps.

The lieutenant colonel is accused of workplace harassment, including verbal abuse, profanity, and issuing unreasonable orders to subordinates, such as the female captain, over whom he held authority regarding performance evaluations.

It is reported that the verbal abuse and harassment continued even after the captain disclosed her pregnancy. When she attempted to use the "maternity protection time" policy—which allows pregnant service members to take two hours off per day—the lieutenant colonel allegedly created a high-pressure atmosphere that effectively prevented her from using the benefit.

Further allegations include forcing the captain to arrive at work early to deliver documents by climbing stairs in a six-story building, and insisting that she wear full military gear during training on the grounds that her pregnancy was not yet visible in the early stages.

Critics point out that while psychological and physical stability is essential during early pregnancy due to the relatively high risk of miscarriage, the captain was instead exposed to verbal abuse and an unreasonable workload.

Enduring persistent verbal abuse and harassment, the captain reportedly suffered from recurring vaginal bleeding and eventually miscarried at 10 weeks of pregnancy.

The Army stated that immediately after becoming aware of the incident, it took measures to separate the lieutenant colonel from the captain and is currently implementing protective measures for the victim.

"We are thoroughly verifying the objective facts regarding the raised allegations and will take strict action in accordance with laws and regulations based on the investigation results," the Army stated.

The Army added, "The military views acts that infringe upon human rights, such as workplace harassment, verbal abuse, and physical assault, with the utmost seriousness and is implementing necessary measures in accordance with relevant regulations."

(Photo: Provided by the Army Capital Corps, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.