Former Seoul Mayor's Secretary Staff "There Was Physical Contact but No Sexual Intercourse"

Denial of Charges at First Trial Session

6th floor of Seoul City Hall, where the Mayor's Office, Secretary's Office, and political appointee offices are located / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] A former Seoul mayor’s secretary office employee, who was indicted on charges of sexually assaulting a colleague, admitted to physical contact but denied having sexual intercourse during the first trial.

On the 22nd, at the first hearing of former secretary office employee A’s charge of quasi-rape and injury held at the Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 31 (Presiding Judge Seongpil Cho), the defense stated, "The defendant did touch specific body parts, but there was no sexual intercourse." The defense also said, "It cannot be definitively concluded that the victim’s post-traumatic stress disorder was caused by A’s actions."

A’s side also refused the admission of evidence regarding the victim’s testimony. In response, the court decided to summon the victim as a witness on the 19th of next month and conduct about an hour of questioning. Victim’s legal representative Attorney Jaeryeon Kim said, "Although testifying as a witness may be psychologically difficult, it is necessary to prove the facts of the case, and we will provide support to help the victim regain composure."

A was indicted without detention on charges of sexually assaulting and injuring employee B, who was heavily intoxicated, by taking them to a motel the day before the April 15 general election. He had been an employee performing protocol duties for the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon for several years and was suspended from his position due to this incident. It is known that related disciplinary procedures are currently underway.

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