Im Sun-young Gender Special Advisor Resigns... Seoul City Political Line Goes Silent

City "No Repairs Until Investigation Ends"
Former Chief Secretary Goh Han-seok Also Withdrawn
Acting Mayor Seo Jeong-hyeop Has No Comment

Seoul City Secretary General Goh Han-seok (center) is revealing the will in front of the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the body of Mayor Park Won-soon, who was found dead seven hours after being reported missing on the 10th, is laid to rest. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy reporters Jo In-kyung and Song Seung-yoon] It has been confirmed that Im Soon-young, Seoul City’s Gender Special Advisor and the key figure suspected of leaking the fact that the Seoul mayor was accused of sexual harassment, has submitted her resignation. She is a subject of investigation by the “Public-Private Joint Investigation Team” formed by Seoul City in relation to this controversy. If Special Advisor Im officially leaves Seoul City, it may become difficult for the investigation team to summon her and uncover the facts.

According to Seoul City on the 17th, Im, who was identified as the person who first learned of the sexual harassment accusation and conveyed it to the late former Mayor Park, had been missing since the funeral and submitted her resignation the day before. Im’s term was until January 14 of next year. She took a leave on the 14th, briefly came to the city hall on the 15th but left early and went home, and also took leave on the 16th without coming to work. A city official stated, “Although Special Advisor Im has submitted her resignation, since she is an important subject of the investigation, we plan not to accept the resignation for now.”

Not only Special Advisor Im, but also the political aides from the secretariat who closely assisted the late former Mayor Park have all disappeared. The special political aides who were automatically retired (dismissed) have already left Seoul City, and the special advisors and appointed executives who still have remaining terms are not coming to city hall. Public Relations Special Advisor Lee Min-joo, whose contract period is known to last until next month, also took leave after the late former Mayor Park’s funeral.

Go Han-seok, the former chief secretary who last met with the late former Mayor Park and was also his last call recipient, is a key figure to resolve various suspicions but has also been reclusive. There has been no sign of activity at his home, and it is understood that he has not been seen by neighbors recently. After completing his police witness investigation, former Chief Secretary Go told reporters that he “did not visit the official residence knowing about the accusation.”

Seo Jung-hyup, Acting Mayor of Seoul (First Deputy Mayor of Administration), attended the Seoul City Council’s extraordinary session on the 14th and expressed his determination to “do his utmost to operate the city administration without any gaps,” but has taken no stance regarding the sexual harassment allegations against the late former Mayor Park. At the event where Seoul City announced its intention to form a public-private joint investigation team to uncover the truth, he sent a spokesperson instead of appearing himself. Regarding the fact that his past tenure as chief secretary overlapped with the working period of the secretary who was the victim of sexual harassment, Acting Mayor Seo immediately explained, “I was not aware of or informed about any details related to this matter at that time.”

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