"Even According to Supreme Court Precedents, Workplace Power Sexual Harassment Is Clear"… Seoul City Urges Punishment for Aiding

Gomigyeong, Executive Director of Korea Women's Hotline (first from the left), is holding the "Second Press Conference on the Sexual Violence Case by the Mayor of Seoul" on the morning of the 22nd at a press conference room in Jung-gu, Seoul. From the left, Executive Director Go, Jaeryeon Kim, Chief Attorney of On-Sesang Law Firm, Ranhee Song, Secretary General of Korea Women's Hotline, Hyejeong Kim, Deputy Director of Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, and Mikyung Lee, Director of Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center. Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Song Seung-yoon and Lee Jung-yoon] On the 22nd, the victim who accused the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment urged a thorough investigation into the allegations of aiding and abetting sexual harassment by Seoul City Secretariat employees, stating, "Even in light of Supreme Court precedents, this case clearly involves sexual harassment through abuse of authority in the workplace."

The Korea Women's Hotline and the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center held a "Second Press Conference on the Sexual Violence Case by the Mayor of Seoul" at an undisclosed location in Seoul at 11 a.m. on the 22nd. The victim did not attend this press conference either, and attorney Kim Jae-ryun represented the victim's intentions.

At the event, Attorney Kim explained, "Under our law, aiding and abetting refers to all direct and indirect acts that facilitate the principal offender's execution of the crime," adding, "It is defined as not only physical assistance but also intangible mental support that strengthens the principal offender's criminal act." The victim had expressed her distress by showing uncomfortable Telegram messages and photos of herself in underwear sent by the late former Mayor Park to her coworkers, but they responded with remarks such as, "We will make your remaining 30 years comfortable, so come back as a secretary," "It's because you're pretty," and "You must get direct approval from the mayor for personnel transfers," which are considered acts of aiding and abetting by not actively addressing the sexual harassment. Attorney Kim stated, "Evading responsibility and allowing the victim to continue working, thereby exposing her to ongoing harm, could also be recognized as aiding and abetting sexual harassment."

Previously, the victim's side claimed that beyond the known sexual harassment by the late former Mayor Park, the Secretariat systematically exposed the victim to sexual crime situations, effectively condoning and aiding the harassment. This includes the Secretariat discouraging the victim's request for a personnel transfer due to unbearable harassment by the late former Mayor Park, as well as forcing her to perform non-work-related tasks such as running errands for underwear or measuring blood pressure. The police have launched a full-scale investigation into the allegations of aiding and abetting sexual violence by Seoul City. On the 20th, they summoned the victim for questioning and applied for a search warrant for Seoul City Hall and other locations the day before. However, the court dismissed the warrant on the morning of the same day, citing "lack of necessity for the search and seizure."

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