Two active-duty admirals will face disciplinary action on charges of harassing female golf caddies by forcing them to dance and sing, the Navy said Wednesday.
The vice admiral, whose identity was withheld, “was found to have ordered 10 caddies to dance and sing multiple times between November last year and March this year,” while playing golf at a military golf course in the country’s southern city of Jihae, according to Navy headquarters.
“We’ve also confirmed that the rear admiral who accompanied the vice admiral told the caddies in February to swing their hips to the music,” the Navy said.
Announcing the result of its probe into the case, the Navy said it will refer the two admirals to a military disciplinary committee for failing to maintain dignity and making unreasonable demands by abusing their positions.
Asked if their behavior amounts to sexual harassment, Navy officers said the women told investigators that what the admirals had done to them “did not cause them to feel any sexual humiliation.”
Another rear admiral in charge of the golf course will also face a probe by the committee for his failure to report the case and take appropriate action, the Navy added.
The case is the latest in a series of shameful incidents for the Navy that reveals its lax disciplines. Several active-duty and retired naval officers have faced investigation for their alleged roles in irregularities in major defense projects. (Yonhap)
