"Silent on Park Won-soon's Sexual Assault Allegations?"... Outrage Over MeToo's 'Selective Justice'

Jeong Chunsuk, Nam Insun and other ruling party lawmakers remain silent on Mayor Park's sexual harassment allegations
'Pro-government figure' Gong Ji-young: "A party that refuses to offer condolences is harsh"

At a press conference on the "Power Sexual Harassment Case by the Seoul Mayor" held on the 13th at the Korea Women's Hotline in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Kim Jae-ryeon, representative lawyer of the law firm On·Sesang, is revealing the secret chat room invitation message sent by Mayor Park Won-soon to the accuser A. / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] Amid ongoing debates surrounding the sexual harassment allegations against the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, who was found dead on the 10th, voices criticizing the silence of those who have long advocated for women's rights are growing louder.

The ruling party, which had emphasized the eradication of gender-based violence, initially remained tight-lipped about the issue but later issued a statement pledging to work on measures to prevent recurrence. Some pro-government figures have also sparked controversy by making remarks defending Mayor Park. In response, some have strongly criticized these individuals for exhibiting 'selective outrage.'

Jeong Chun-sook, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former executive director of Korea Women's Hotline, expressed condolences on Facebook on the 10th, saying, "We have worked together on various matters since 1992. I have no words. Only tears." It is reported that when asked about the press conference held by the accuser of Mayor Park's sexual harassment on the 13th, Jeong said, "I haven't seen it yet."

Nam In-soon, a Democratic Party lawmaker and former executive director of the Korean Women's Associations United, conveyed her condolences by visiting Mayor Park's funeral hall but remained silent regarding the sexual harassment allegations. Nam did not attend the party's Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly after Mayor Park's funeral. She currently serves as the chairperson of the Democratic Party's Special Committee on Gender Violence Countermeasures.

Kim Sang-hee, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and former executive director of the Korean Women's Movement United, also posted on Facebook that day, "I commemorate and mourn the life of the late Mayor Park Won-soon, who devoted his entire life to human rights and democracy."

On the 13th, when the funeral ceremony of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was solemnly held, Mayor Park's remains were being transported from the Seoul City Hall funeral hall to the memorial park. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In response, some have pushed back against politicians who have usually raised their voices on women's rights issues but showed a lukewarm reaction to Mayor Park's sexual harassment allegations. While understanding the intention to mourn the deceased, they argue that a sober judgment on the matter was necessary given the existence of an accuser.

Office worker Heo (26) said, "In the past, when the Me Too movement arose, the political sphere supported it and stood with the victims. But this time, it seems different," adding, "Democratic Party female lawmakers have said nothing, and even the party leader expressed that 'mourning comes first.'"

Heo continued, "The political sphere should support the victim who courageously came forward, but instead, they only criticize her," emphasizing, "The political sphere must come to its senses now and offer an apology to the victim along with actively pushing for an investigation."

In particular, some pro-government figures who defended Mayor Park have been accused of leading 'secondary victimization' against the sexual harassment accuser.

Gong Ji-young, author of the novel "Dogani" which deals with the sexual assault of hearing-impaired students at Gwangju Inhwa School, shared the Seoul City online memorial site address on her Facebook on the 11th, expressing her condolences by saying, "I wanted to write 'I still can't shed all my tears,' but tears came out," and called him "Foolish Park Won-soon."

Earlier, Gong shared a tweet by former Democratic Party lawmaker Lee Seok-hyun. In the shared tweet, Lee said, "It is a duty to pay respects when an acquaintance dies," and added, "I have not lived a perfect life to the extent that I would declare in front of reporters that I will not attend the funeral."

He further commented, "How harsh a world must the party that refuses to attend funerals be pursuing!"

Such defense of Mayor Park by Gong and other pro-government figures has been criticized for turning the issue into a partisan matter, potentially distorting the core issue of the sexual harassment allegations.

Office worker Kim (27) said, "In the situation where former Mayor Park has passed away, the political sphere should protect the living accuser, not the deceased," and raised her voice, "Nevertheless, the Democratic Party and the broader ruling coalition have not issued criticism regarding the victim or workplace sexual violence. Isn't it too serious a crime to cover up just because the perpetrator was on their side?"

Kim added, "Pro-government figures like Gong Ji-young are leading secondary victimization of the victim. Would this have happened if former Mayor Park had been an opposition lawmaker? It seems that those deeply immersed in partisan logic are trying to erase the existence of victims and harm. The political sphere must develop gender sensitivity and prepare related responses and prevention measures."

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

Experts emphasized the need to eradicate secondary victimization against sexual crime victims.

Lee Mi-kyung, director of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, said at a press conference held on the 13th at the Korea Women's Hotline education center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, "This case has sparked serious social debate about the meaning of a sexual violence perpetrator choosing death," and warned, "If choosing death was also an apology to the victim, then in some form, an apology and acceptance of responsibility should have been conveyed to the victim."

She added, "In such a situation, who would trust the national system and report sexual violence by power? I want to say that we will fight to the end against power-based sexual violence to create a society where no one has to live in silence after being victimized."

Meanwhile, female lawmakers of the Democratic Party on the 14th demanded the party conduct an urgent, comprehensive inspection of sexual misconduct related to heads of local governments and all regional committees in connection with Mayor Park's sexual harassment allegations.

In a statement that day, ruling party female lawmakers said, "We deeply sympathize with the pain the woman who reported the victimization must have felt. Such incidents must never happen again."

They stated, "Above all, the protection of the rights of the parties involved and a fact-finding investigation at the Seoul city level must be conducted to prevent recurrence," emphasizing, "Since the accuser said she 'requested help at work but was ignored,' this is a necessary measure."

They continued, "Seoul City should form a 'Fact-Finding and Recurrence Prevention Committee' involving external personnel to ensure objectivity, considering the accuser's position," and added, "Active protective measures for the accuser must also be implemented simultaneously."

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