Kim Kyung-hyeop on Won Jong-geon's Me Too controversy: "The party was unaware... I am sorry"

Recruitment No. 2 Won Jong-geon Returns Qualification and Withdraws Candidacy Amid MeToo Controversy

Won Jong-geon, the second recruited talent of the Democratic Party of Korea who has been accused in the Me Too controversy, is stating his position at the National Assembly Press Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Won Jong-geon (27), the second talent recruit of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) who was embroiled in sexual assault allegations, returned his recruitment qualification on the 28th and declared that he would not run in the general election. DPK lawmaker Kim Kyung-hyup stated regarding the controversy over the verification of recruited talents, "Since it is an issue between the two parties involved, the party was unable to grasp it."

On the same day, Lawmaker Kim said on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show', "Just the fact that such an issue arose is very regrettable from the party's standpoint."

He added, "If the facts are confirmed and these claims are true, I believe the recruitment should be immediately canceled or appropriate measures should be taken. If there had been previous reports, the party would have screened the candidate thoroughly, but we were unable to identify this case."

Regarding criticism that the recruitment was merely an event, Lawmaker Kim explained, "The issue of talent recruitment repeats every election. I believe that as political parties in our country have established systems and transformed into modern parties, it is normal for talents to be continuously verified and nurtured within the party."

He continued, "Recruitment is done to fill those gaps, but ideally, as time goes on, discovering and fostering talents within the party should be prioritized."

Won Jong-geon, the second recruited talent of the Democratic Party of Korea who has been accused in the Me Too controversy, is stating his position at the National Assembly Press Hall in Yeouido, Seoul on the 28th. Photo by Yonhap News

On the morning of the same day, Won held a press conference at the National Assembly and stated, "Today, I will voluntarily return my qualification as a recruited talent for the Democratic Party's 21st general election."

Earlier, on the 27th, a woman who identified herself as Won's ex-girlfriend posted on an online community, claiming, "Won continuously treated me, his girlfriend, as a sexual object and tormented me with misogyny and gaslighting," sparking controversy.

Won apologized, saying, "A former girlfriend posted content related to me on the internet. I am sorry for causing trouble to the party just by the controversy itself."

However, he denied the allegations, stating, "The posts are not true. Although I had many faults and made mistakes in my youth, I did not live recklessly. It is devastating to be labeled as a shameless person."

He added, "However, since I joined the Democratic Party and received more attention and scrutiny than others, no matter how unfair it is, it seems appropriate to bear more severe responsibility and harsh consequences than others," expressing his intention not to run.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.