'Refusing to Pay Respects' Ryu Ho-jeong: "At Least One Person Should Stand with the Victims"

Ryu Ho-jeong, Justice Party member
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] On the 13th, Ryu Ho-jeong, a Justice Party lawmaker, who faced criticism for refusing to pay respects to the late Mayor Park Won-soon amid allegations of sexual harassment, said, "I thought that at least one person should stand on the side of the victim."

On the same day, Ryu appeared on YTN's "Noh Young-hee's Start Morning" and said, "As a human rights lawyer, a civic activist, and as a Seoul mayor, I respected Mayor Park Won-soon," but added, "In a situation where secondary harm has become a reality, I wanted to say that there are lawmakers like me who unconditionally support not only the accuser but also many others who have had or are having similar experiences in power relationships, and that at least one person should be on the side of the accuser who is appealing for help."

She stated, "Currently, when you search Mayor Park's name, the autocomplete suggests 'secretary,' which is equivalent to a murderous act that kills the accuser," and argued, "This behavior insults Mayor Park, who was the first lawyer to win a workplace sexual harassment case."

Regarding opinions from some quarters to withdraw support for the Justice Party due to Ryu's refusal to pay respects, she dismissed them, saying, "I think these things are happening because Mayor Park has done a lot over the years," and added, "(Still) I intend to act solely from the perspective of the victim in this case."

She continued, "In a situation where the subject has passed away, the truth investigation must absolutely ask the wishes of the accuser who is appealing for help," and added, "Since the accused has died, the case will be processed as 'no prosecution,' and to emphasize once again, I believe everything should be decided in a way that can prevent secondary harm."

Earlier, Justice Party lawmakers Ryu Ho-jeong and Jang Hye-young announced their refusal to pay respects to Mayor Park through social networking services (SNS) on the 10th and 11th, respectively.

Ryu said, "I do not intend to pay respects," and added, "I hope you (the victim) are not lonely."

Jang also said, "I cannot mourn as if nothing happened," and added, "No matter how big and meaningful the legacy the deceased left in our society, there are still things we need to know."

Since then, posts expressing disagreement with the refusal to pay respects and announcing withdrawal from the party have flooded the Facebook pages of the two lawmakers and the Justice Party member bulletin board.

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