Two Navy officers have been arrested on charges of sexually harassing a female colleague on a patrol ship, the defense ministry said Tuesday.

The captain-level male officer, whose identity was withheld, is accused of breaking into the female officer’s room on the patrol ship in March and trying to touch her body.

A month earlier, the female ensign suffered sexual molestation by another lieutenant commander-level officer in the ship, the ministry said.

Military police found that he made verbal abuses and told her “to massage my shoulders,” which caused him to face punishment of having his salaries cut for three months.

The authorities then dismissed the commander of the vessel last month, holding him responsible for the series of abuse cases, the ministry added.

“Those involved in sex crimes are subject to aggravated punishment. Military disciplines on the matter are the most crucial thing and closely related to combat power,” said defense ministry spokesperson Kim Min-seok.

The incidents were brought to light after the victim told her counselor about the incidents after being transferred to another unit.

In the wake of the incidents, the Navy said it will come up with necessary preventative measures such as establishing closed-circuit cameras inside ships and strengthening ethics education of servicepersons. (Yonhap)