[Initial Insight] The Spiral of Silence Theory and Kim Ji-eun's 'Deul'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ji Yeon-jin] Kim Ji-eun, who was sexually assaulted by former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, reportedly went out tightly covered in black clothes and a hat after the #Me Too movement in March 2018. Although she sometimes wanted to wear bright clothes, she insisted on wearing only black, fearing that she might deviate from the 'victim-like' image. When the worst fine dust hit last March, a year after the Me Too movement, she said she was glad about the fine dust because she could wear a mask without worrying about others' eyes.

The book published earlier this year, Kim Ji-eun Imnida (Kim Ji-eun: The 554 Days Record of Accusing Ahn Hee-jung’s Sexual Violence), fully captures Kim’s mental and physical suffering after the Ahn Hee-jung Me Too case. She avoided going out for fear that people might recognize her and was even afraid of her name being called. In the book, Kim wrote, "If sexual violence is murder of the body and mind, secondary victimization was murder of current life, past and future, self, and personality."

Although former Governor Ahn was convicted by the Supreme Court last year and is currently imprisoned, secondary victimization against Kim is still ongoing. Among not only Ahn’s supporters but also gossipers, the 'affair relationship' between the two has become an established fact. The most absurd story recently heard in private was a distortion claiming that "Kim Ji-eun filed the Me Too accusation out of jealousy because Ahn Hee-jung had multiple mistresses," referring to another victim who sued Ahn. This is due to the 'Ahn Hee-jung obsessive fan' frame imposed on Kim by Ahn’s close aides during the trial process and the claim by Ahn’s wife after his guilty verdict that it was "not Me Too but an affair," which dominated public opinion.

When the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon’s sexual violence victim first visited lawyer Kim Jae-ryeon in May, it was not yet a serious situation with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but the victim wore a mask and did not reveal her face at all. Secondary victimization against Park’s victim closely resembles the 'Ahn Hee-jung case.' Oh Sung-gyu, former secretary to the Seoul Mayor, stated in an opinion submitted to the National Human Rights Commission earlier this month, "The complainant (victim A) expressed respect for the deceased (former Mayor Park Won-soon), and there is overwhelming evidence and circumstances contrary to the complainant’s claim that she was overpowered by the power and could not refuse the molestation." This is because the victim voluntarily liked Park’s social media posts and used hashtags such as #ThankYou #ParkWonSoon #Hooray on her own SNS. On pro-government YouTube channels, claims abound that the victim sent photos of herself in sleeveless clothes to Park, that A asked Park to 'make a ho~ sound' on his knee, and that there was physical contact during Park’s birthday party or hiking.

There is a media theory called the 'Spiral of Silence.' It posits that people publicly express their opinions when they belong to the majority opinion in society, but remain silent when they belong to the minority, leading the majority opinion to become public opinion. Active minorities tend to attract social attention, and their actions are reported through major media such as TV and newspapers, leading ordinary citizens to perceive the active minority as the dominant majority. In her book, Kim said that every time a post by Ahn’s wife appeared right after the guilty verdict and the media reported it sensationally, she felt "as if she was standing naked in the middle of the street" and cried out, "Everyone is an accomplice."

Park’s victim is expected to face an even tougher battle. The police recently announced that they applied for a search warrant to seize former Mayor Park’s mobile phone regarding suspicions that Seoul city officials had abetted Park’s sexual harassment, but the court dismissed the warrant. Park’s sexual harassment case is likely to end with 'no prosecution' as he took his own life. This means it has become difficult for the police to determine whether Park committed a crime. Now, only the prosecution’s investigation into how Park learned of the sexual harassment allegations and the National Human Rights Commission’s ex officio investigation remain.

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