President Moon Jae-in called for a strict and fair investigation into the alleged sexual assault of an Air Force officer by a colleague of the same rank, which led to the victim's death by apparent suicide.

According to presidential spokesperson Park Kyung-mee on Thursday, Moon said his heart aches thinking about the victim suffering in despair.

The president urged authorities to investigate the military's initial handling of the reported incident, possible secondary damage by the woman’s superiors and colleagues and the response to her death.

This comes as the officer's family claims that her superiors attempted to persuade her to reach a settlement without taking due protective measures.

The woman was found dead in her home on base in late May by apparent suicide, months after her colleague allegedly groped her and forced her to touch him in a car while returning to base. The man, surnamed Jang, was not taken into custody or charged at the time.

On Wednesday, a military court issued a warrant against Jang for an indecent act by force and inflicting bodily injury, and he is now under detention.