President Moon Jae-in on Sunday met with the bereaved families of a female Air Force officer, sexually assaulted by a male colleague, and apologized to them for failing to protect her.

Moon headed to her funeral home shortly after attending a national ceremony to mark the 66th Memorial Day. The annual event was held at Seoul National Cemetery.

Speaking to the victim's parents at Armed Forces Capital Hospital in Seongnam, just south of the capital, the president said he was sorry that the country had failed to protect her, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesperson Park Kyung-mee.

They called for a thorough investigation into the case, and Moon promised to do so. He then instructed Defense Minister Suh Wook, who accompanied him, to overhaul the barracks culture in addition to a full probe.

The master sergeant, identified only by her surname Lee, was sexually assaulted in a car by the colleague of the same rank in early March. She soon reported the incident to her seniors, but they are accused of having attempted to cover it up. She was found dead at her official residence in late May in an apparent suicide.

During his Memorial Day address, broadcast live, Moon apologized over the "unjust death" of the officer. Last week, he ordered a thorough probe into the military's handling of the case. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Lee Seong-yong resigned the following day to take responsibility for his organization's handling of the incident. (Yonhap)