[Full Text] Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don Abruptly Resigns ... Admits to Forced Molestation with 'Unnecessary Physical Contact'

Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don is announcing his resignation at a press conference held at Busan City Hall on the morning of the 23rd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Mayor Oh Keo-don of Busan has abruptly resigned.

On the morning of the 23rd, Mayor Oh held a press conference at Busan City Hall and announced his official resignation from the mayoral position effective immediately. The reason for his resignation was stated as forcible molestation of a woman.

Below is the full text of Mayor Oh's resignation statement.

I must express my deepest apologies. I hereby resign from the position of Mayor of Busan as of today. I bow my head in apology.

I feel deeply sorry for failing to keep my promise to the 3.5 million citizens of Busan and for not fulfilling my responsibilities. However, I also believe that responsibility toward one individual is very important. Because my responsibility toward that one person is so great, I confess that I had no choice but to make this decision.

During a brief meeting of about five minutes with one person, I realized that uncomfortable physical contact could be considered forcible molestation. Regardless of severity, no behavior can be forgiven.

With such shortcomings, I believe it is not right to carry out the mayoral duties entrusted to me by the great citizens. To ensure normal city administration during this difficult time, I will take all blame upon myself and seek forgiveness as I step down. As a public official, I apologize to the victims and will live the rest of my life with a repentant heart.

I ask only one thing. Please protect the victim from further harm, including the media and citizens.

All faults lie with me.

After going through the process of three failures and one success, I wanted to do my best for the beloved city of Busan after becoming mayor. I am deeply sorry to show you this side of me, but I believe this is the only choice. Please remember me as someone who loved Busan very much. I sincerely apologize to all citizens.

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