Published : Sept. 8, 2014 - 11:28
(연합뉴스)
Police said Monday that they have arrested a U.S. Army private on suspicion of pushing a 26-year-old South Korean woman into a wall at a subway station.
The 19-year-old soldier from the 2nd Infantry Division was arrested on Sunday as he allegedly hurled the woman into a wall at the subway station after flirting with her, police said.
He was immediately arrested and admitted his criminal act during the police investigation, saying that he was under the influence of alcohol. He returned to his division after the investigation.
In a separate case, a sergeant from the same division was being investigated on suspicion of assaulting a taxi driver while intoxicated. The probe began on Tuesday.
In protest, the mayor from the city of Uijeongbu, a ruling party lawmaker and others did not participate in a performance for U.S. soldiers at the division a day later.
On Thursday, officials from the 2nd Infantry Division visited the mayor's office to apologize for the incident and promised to prevent such criminal acts from recurring.
The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) governs the legal status of about 28,500 U.S. soldiers stationed in South Korea, a legacy of the 1950-53 Korean War.
South Korean authorities have often failed to take legal action against U.S. soldiers accused of committing crimes as the SOFA regulations allow the suspects to be handed over to U.S. authorities. (Yonhap)