Lee Hae-chan "Oh Keo-don Sexual Harassment, Apologize as Party Leader... Will Initiate Strict Punishment"

"Shocked to hear about Oh Keo-don's resignation on the 23rd... Will uphold the zero-tolerance principle on sexual misconduct"

Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 27th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, officially apologized regarding the sexual harassment case involving former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, stating, "As the party leader, I offer my apologies to the victim, the citizens of Busan, and the people of the nation."

On the morning of the 27th, at the Democratic Party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly, Lee said, "I apologize as the party leader to the victim, the citizens of Busan, and the people of the nation for the fact that the Busan mayor from the Democratic Party committed an act that should never have happened and resigned."

He added, "I was utterly shocked when I heard the news on Thursday (the 23rd) morning," and said, "The Democratic Party has taken a zero-tolerance stance on issues related to sexual misconduct in this general election, and this principle will be upheld without change going forward."

He continued, "The party's Ethics Committee will initiate disciplinary procedures to set a stern example," and said, "We will accelerate the establishment of a system to systematize and mandate gender-sensitivity education for elected party officials and senior party officials. Once again, I apologize for causing concern to the people."

Regarding the situation in the National Assembly, Lee urged speeding up the passage of the second supplementary budget bill. He said, "The National Assembly is scheduled to begin reviewing the second supplementary budget starting today," and added, "No matter what happens, the supplementary budget must be passed this week and payments made by early May."

He further stated, "If the emergency disaster relief funds are delayed, the suffering of the people increases and the effectiveness diminishes," and earnestly requested, "The opposition party has obstructed throughout the 20th National Assembly, but I sincerely ask for cooperation this time. I request the opposition's cooperation to pass it on the 29th."

Regarding the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation, he said, "Although social distancing has been eased, it is still not the time to let our guard down. A small lapse can cause the dam to break," and added, "The party will thoroughly manage quarantine measures while focusing more on the emergency economic aspects."

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