60 National Human Rights Organizations Urge Truth Investigation into Park Won-soon's Sexual Harassment: "'Not a Personal Issue' but a 'Public Matter'"

Kim Hye-jung, Deputy Director of the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, holding a placard with the phrase "We stand in solidarity with the victims" at a press conference on the sexual harassment case by the Seoul mayor, held on the 13th at the Korea Women's Hotline in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern Yeonju Kim] Sixty human rights organizations nationwide have called for a thorough investigation into the sexual harassment allegations against the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

On the 16th, 60 organizations including the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyun), the Seoul Queer Culture Festival Organizing Committee, and the Progressive Network issued a joint statement saying, "The public support system that the victim, who seeks truth and justice, first encountered was the investigative agency, which is now suspected of having informed former Mayor Park of the accusation."

They stated, "This case is not a 'personal issue' between former Mayor Park and Ms. A, but a 'public issue' that occurred within the rigid hierarchical organizational structure of the civil servant society," emphasizing, "The city must look into the entire civil servant society and conduct a fact-finding investigation and victim support from this fundamental awareness of the problem."

They added, "Although the police have announced their intention to close the investigation due to lack of prosecutorial jurisdiction, the victim's appeal should not be stopped by investigative procedures and regulations," urging, "We must reflect on why no one listened to the victim's appeal and how the reality faced by the victim has persisted for four years, and do our utmost in fact-finding and victim support."

They also raised their voices to stop secondary harm that insults and criticizes the victim Ms. A. They said, "Secondary harm targeting the victim and indiscriminate personal information digging have reached a serious level," and "The victim has the right to speak about her experience at any time and to be protected."

Furthermore, they stated, "In this case as well, beyond questioning why the facts have not been clearly revealed or why the disclosure is happening now, the victim is being cornered by secondary harm that shifts the responsibility for former Mayor Park's death onto the victim," adding, "We must consider how fearful and desperate the victim, who seeks truth and justice, must have felt in the face of such power."

Finally, the organizations expressed their solidarity with the victim. They emphasized, "We cannot move forward a single step while covering up someone's pain," and "We will stand by the victim wherever she voices her pain, along with human rights movements. We will stand by you so that ordinary daily life and a safe life can be fully restored."

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