"Buried in Gadeokdo"... People Power Party Reactivates Sexual Violence Countermeasures Special Committee

Kim Jeong-jae, Chair of the Sexual Violence Special Committee of the People Power Party, is presenting the contents of the first bill of the Sexual Violence Countermeasures Special Committee, the "Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes," at the National Assembly on the 23rd. The People Power Party's Sexual Violence Countermeasures Special Committee announced two bills, including the "Act on the Punishment of Stalking Crimes," jointly proposed by Representative Seo Beom-su. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The People Power Party has reactivated its Special Committee on Sexual Violence Measures after about two months and discussed bills to strengthen punishment for power-based sexual crimes. As the issue of the new airport on Gadeokdo Island showed signs of shaking up next year's Busan mayoral by-election, concerns arose that controversies over sexual misconduct by former local leaders might be overshadowed, prompting the party to highlight gender issues once again.

On the morning of the 19th, the People Power Party's Special Committee on Sexual Violence Measures held its third meeting at the National Assembly to discuss laws for the prevention, deterrence, and stricter punishment of power-based sexual crimes. A committee official explained, "We are preparing a bill at the committee level to ensure that investigations into sexual violence allegations against local government heads, such as in the cases of the Seoul and Busan mayors, can be conducted promptly," adding, "We also plan to propose a bill today that would impose sanctions if a local government that has experienced a sexual violence incident fails to submit recurrence prevention measures to the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family."

During the meeting, a proposed bill was also discussed to establish an independent Sexual Crime Grievance Review Committee in cases of sexual misconduct involving elected officials.

Earlier, on the 17th, the People Power Party announced it would push for a party-backed amendment targeting the sexual harassment cases involving former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don. The key points include: ▲if a by-election is held due to gross negligence or corruption, the party that nominated the relevant elected official cannot recommend a candidate for the by-election; ▲if a party that caused the by-election due to sexual violence nominates a candidate again, election expenses for that candidate will not be reimbursed; and ▲the party’s subsidies will be reduced by an amount equivalent to the costs incurred for the by-election caused by the party’s fault.

The People Power Party’s successive introduction of bills targeting the ruling party appears to emphasize that this by-election is being held due to sexual misconduct issues involving a Democratic Party-affiliated local leader. They believe maintaining the "sexual harassment by-election" frame is advantageous for victory.

Ahead of the election, the People Power Party has shown unease as the ruling party highlights the Gadeokdo New Airport issue. Concerns are growing that they might lose the momentum they had secured in the Busan mayoral by-election, which was initially expected to be an easy win. A party official said, "The Gadeokdo New Airport is directly linked to Busan’s economic development," adding, "Even though we know it is a card for the by-election, expectations can build, potentially changing the election dynamics." He added, "The worst-case scenario for us is that the reason for the by-election is forgotten, and only the debate over the Gadeokdo New Airport continues."

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