Will the Outline of the 'Park Won-soon Allegation Leak' Emerge This Week?

Police Encounter Clue Suggesting Prior Knowledge of Park Won-soon Lawsuit
Im Sun-young, Gender Special Advisor, First Police Investigation
Civic Groups Announce Second Press Conference
Heightened Attention on Additional Clues Related to Leak

The police investigating the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon are expected to summon and question related parties, including Im Soon-young, Seoul City's Special Gender Advisor, this week. On the 20th, reporters were waiting in front of the Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] The truth behind the leak suspicion of the sexual harassment accusation against the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is gradually coming to light. The key issue was how Im Soon-young, Seoul City's Gender Special Advisor, knew about the accusation before the victim's complaint was officially filed. However, with new evidence showing that the police recognized the accusation plan about two hours earlier than initially reported, this matter is entering a new phase.

On the 21st, Kim Jae-ryeon, the lawyer representing the victim who accused the late Mayor Park of sexual harassment, told reporters in front of the Onsesang Law Firm in Seocho-gu, Seoul, "We will hold a press conference this week. Since there are unnecessary misunderstandings, we are preparing additional facts that the media is curious about." She also urged regarding Im, the special advisor at the center of the leak suspicion, who was questioned late at night the previous day, "It is essential to clarify through which channel he learned about it, so he should have actively cooperated with the investigation."

Im underwent an overnight investigation lasting about five and a half hours at the Seongbuk Police Station in Seoul the previous night. On the day of the sexual harassment accusation, around 3 p.m., he visited the late Mayor Park and asked, "Is there an unpleasant matter?" This was about an hour and a half before the complaint was filed. During the investigation that day, the police reportedly focused on confirming how Im became aware of unusual signs related to Mayor Park's personal safety. It is expected that Im's statements did not significantly deviate from his previously disclosed defense arguments regarding the suspicions surrounding him.

Kim Chang-ryong, nominee for Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly on the 20th, responding to questions from lawmakers. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

This suspicion became a key issue at the confirmation hearing for Kim Chang-ryong, the nominee for Police Chief, held at the National Assembly the day before. Kwon Young-se, a member of the Future United Party, revealed, "At 2:28 p.m. on the day (before the complaint was filed), the victim's lawyer called the head of the Women's and Youth Division at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and said, 'Please investigate a high-ranking official in Seoul City as we plan to file a complaint.'" This means the police recognized the accusation about two hours before the complaint was officially filed at 4:30 p.m. on the 8th. This testimony differs from the police's previous position that they became aware of the sexual harassment accusation against Mayor Park only after the complaint was filed. In response, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency acknowledged the call but stated, "At the initial call, we did not know who the accused was, so we advised to file the complaint at the Civil Complaints Office. It was only during the process of receiving the complaint that we learned the accused was the late Mayor Park."

However, what the police need to further clarify is that during the 2:48 p.m. call, the victim's lawyer referred to the accused as a "high-ranking official in Seoul City." This raises suspicion that a police official might have conveyed to Im that there was an unusual situation related to the mayor through some channel after this call. In a recent media interview, Im testified that when he asked the mayor about the "unpleasant matter" around 3 p.m. on the 8th, he was unaware of the accusation and had heard about the matter from an "external party." Whether Im or the "external party" who informed him knew about the complaint filing is directly related to the legality of the case, including whether the accused was given an opportunity to destroy evidence.

Therefore, attention is focused on whether additional clues related to the leak will emerge at the second press conference scheduled by the victim's side this week. Depending on whether the victim's lawyer explicitly mentioned Mayor Park as the accused during the 2:48 p.m. call or merely referred to him as a "high-ranking official," the substance of the leak suspicion will become clearer. It is also of interest whether an insider within Seoul City was aware of the accusation before 4:30 p.m. on the day the complaint was filed and contacted the victim's side. In this regard, the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee adopted the personnel hearing report for nominee Kim the day before and also passed a motion requesting the attendance of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Information Management Division Superintendent and the Director of Seoul City's Women and Family Policy Office at the National Assembly on the 28th.

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