United Future Party Disciplines Sex Scandal Remarks... Controversy Over 'Secondary Harm' in Park Won-soon Sexual Harassment Case

Jeong Won-seok Suspended from Emergency Committee Activities for Two Months
Democratic Party Faces Controversy over 'Victim Complainant' Expression

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] The political sphere has been embroiled in controversy over 'secondary victimization' of the victim who accused the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, of sexual harassment. The Democratic Party of Korea is being criticized for downplaying the victim's claims rather than uncovering the truth, while the United Future Party is accused of focusing solely on opposition battles. Jung Won-seok, a member of the United Future Party's Emergency Committee, who sparked controversy by referring to Park's sexual harassment allegations as a 'sex scandal,' has been suspended from activities for two months.

On the morning of the 17th, Kim Jong-in, chairman of the United Future Party's Emergency Committee, held a meeting and issued a warning to Jung along with a recommendation to suspend his activities within the committee for two months. Jung expressed his intention to humbly accept the suspension as a form of self-reflection.

At the Emergency Committee meeting the previous day, Jung stated, "The time for condolence has passed, and now the time for judgment has come. It is time for us to reveal the truth," and described the situation as "Park Won-soon's sexual harassment and the concealment of a Seoul City sex scandal." During his remarks, after receiving a note, Jung added, "Regarding the sex scandal, I want to define it as a sexual crime," and explained, "Although there is no testimony that the victim had a relationship, various sexual scandals are still occurring within Seoul City." His remarks were widely criticized as inappropriate given that the case clearly involves perpetrators and victims.

After his comments sparked controversy, Jung eventually apologized. On Facebook, he stated, "I acknowledge that referring to it as a sex scandal in a dictionary sense lacked consideration for the fact that it could be perceived as harm from the female victim's perspective," and added, "Going forward, I will correct the term to 'power-based sexual crime' and strive to better reflect the victim's standpoint in the choice of terminology."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, the Democratic Party also faced controversy for using terms like 'victim claimant' and 'victim accuser.' On the 15th, Democratic Party leader Lee Hae-chan apologized to the public during a Supreme Council meeting, saying, "I offer my deep condolences for the pain experienced by the victim claimant." Leading presidential candidate Lee Nak-yeon referred to the individual as a 'victim accuser' in a Facebook post. This led to criticism that the Democratic Party was emphasizing that Park's allegations had not been confirmed, attempting to dismiss the claims as one-sided. During the height of the Me Too movement last year, the term 'victim claimant' was rarely used. Moreover, the Democratic Party's use of the term 'victim' in cases involving former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don and former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung stands in contrast.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family has stated that former secretary A, who filed a complaint with investigative authorities regarding Park's sexual harassment allegations, is considered a legal victim.

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