[Exclusive] Police Investigate Complainant in Former Secretary to Park Won-soon Case... Launch Probe into 'Secondary Harm'

Police Investigate Plaintiff, Late Mayor Park Won-soon's Former Secretary
Regarding Secondary Harm Acts Online and Offline

Attorney Kim Jae-ryeon, representing the victim A who accused Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment and other charges, is speaking at the "Press Conference on the Sexual Harassment Case by the Mayor of Seoul" held on the 13th at the Korea Women's Hotline in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Lee Jung-yoon] The police are conducting a complainant investigation regarding the second online and offline victimization allegations against A, the former secretary of the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul.

According to the police on the 14th, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is conducting a complainant investigation this morning into A, the victim who accused the late Mayor Park of sexual harassment. A's side filed a complaint with the police the day before regarding the second victimization that occurred online and offline, including doxxing and indiscriminate criticism. A's side also requested the police to punish those who distributed a document circulating online after Mayor Park's death, claiming it was A's complaint and contained identifiable information about the victim. The police are expected to launch a full-scale investigation after comprehensively reviewing the complaint and completing the complainant investigation.

Separately, voices demanding a fact-finding investigation into the sexual harassment accusation against the late Mayor Park are growing louder. However, since Mayor Park has passed away, the only ways to ascertain the facts are the police investigation and the Seoul City fact-finding investigation, and realistically, it is widely believed that initiating a new investigation will be difficult.

First, the police maintain the policy of closing the sexual harassment complaint case as "no prosecution" according to established procedures. It is common for investigative agencies to decide not to prosecute when the suspect has died.

The portrait of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, is being taken to Seoul Memorial Park after the funeral ceremony at Seoul City Hall on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

There is also a method to indirectly clarify the facts of the case through investigating those around the accused who are suspected of aiding the sexual harassment, but even this seems unlikely. The crime of aiding forced sexual assault is established when a person knowingly facilitates the assault either directly or indirectly. However, since it is impossible to evaluate the principal offender, it is even more difficult to assess the accomplices. In this context, most analyses suggest that the case filed by a YouTube channel on the 10th accusing Seoul city officials of aiding will likely be dismissed.

Lee Eun, a lawyer at Lee Eun Law Office, said, "When the accused dies, it is impossible to hear their testimony, so the investigative agency has no choice but to close the investigation in principle," adding, "At this stage, other than Seoul City's fact-finding investigation, further actions seem realistically difficult."

Ultimately, since it is difficult to uncover the truth through investigation, alternatives such as Seoul City conducting its own investigation or the National Assembly launching a fact-finding inquiry are being discussed. Kim Jae-ryeon, the chief lawyer of Onsesang Law Firm and legal representative of A, also urged at a press conference held immediately after Mayor Park's funeral the day before, "The police should clarify their position on the case, and Seoul City, the National Assembly, and political parties should work to uncover the truth." Seoul City is expected to release an official statement on this matter within the day.

Movements to clarify the suspicions surrounding this case are also emerging inside and outside the political sphere. The United Future Party plans to conduct a focused investigation at the party level regarding Mayor Park's sexual harassment allegations as well as the suspected leak of the accusation.

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