Sexual Harassment Victim of Oh Keo-don: "Stop Highlighting the Victim... This Is Clear Secondary Harm"

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don Admits to Sexual Harassment of Women

On the morning of the 23rd, former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don showed tears during a resignation press conference at Busan City Hall, where he admitted to sexual harassment of a woman. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don admitted to sexually harassing a female public official in his office and voluntarily resigned on the 23rd. The victim's side stated, "Highlighting the victim clearly constitutes secondary harm, and we ask for it to stop."

Seo Ji-yul, head counselor at the Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center who counseled the victim, said in an interview with CBS Radio's 'Sisa Jaki Jeong Gwan-yong imnida' on the same day, "The victim sought counseling earlier this month, so from the current standpoint, this is not something that happened just yesterday or today," adding, "Basic facts were confirmed during the counseling. Support for the victim is underway."

She continued, "Regarding the resignation from the mayoral position, we conveyed the victim's wishes to the city," but added, "Criminal charges and complaints are possible, but whether to proceed with those is something the victim is still considering."

When asked, "Is it true that Mayor Oh's side even drafted a notarized document stating the resignation?" she replied, "There was a document acknowledging the fact of forced sexual harassment and specifying the confirmation timing."

Seo explained, "As stated in the official statement, the victim is very concerned about political interpretations of this. It also says in the statement that 'there was no external pressure or inducement from any political faction.' Since it is April, linking this to the general election is very uncomfortable, and such connections could blur the essence of sexual violence, so this is something to be cautious about."

On the morning of the 23rd at Busan City Hall, former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don is holding back tears during a resignation press conference where he admitted to sexual harassment of a woman. Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding the question, "Did Mayor Oh's side ask to endure until after the general election?" she answered, "There was no such discussion at all. Rather, the victim was worried about political calculations, so the resignation timing was set for the end of April," adding, "The victim made the decision and then proposed it, which was accepted."

She also criticized strongly, saying, "In Mayor Oh's press conference, expressions like 'I realized that unnecessary physical contact could be recognized as forced sexual harassment,' and 'I didn't know, but I came to realize it was forced sexual harassment regardless of severity' were upsetting," and added, "Despite being a clear criminal act, these parts can be seen as examples of showing sexual sensitivity."

Regarding reactions that this was a "predicted resignation," she explained, "Women's organizations in the Busan area had demanded the formation of a sexual harassment and sexual violence task force as a campaign pledge when Mayor Oh ran for office, but after his election, there was no stance or formation realized," and continued, "Also, in 2018, during company dinners, the low sexual sensitivity was evident when female workers were seated on both sides for meals, creating an atmosphere that sexual violence was trivialized and not considered very important."

Finally, she emphasized, "The perpetrator should be punished and the victim should be able to return to daily life, so the perpetrator, rather than the victim, should be highlighted," and added, "To take responsibility for this, Busan City should show improvement efforts such as preventing secondary harm and establishing a dedicated organization for sexual harassment and sexual violence."

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