Kim Nam-guk: "Kim Byung-wook's Tail-Cutting Style Resignation... Opposition Party and Professor Lee Soo-jung Committed Secondary Harm"

Criticism of Party Response to Lawmaker Kim Byung-wook Accused of Sexual Assault
"Specific Sexual Assault Allegations, but Party Leadership Shows Indifference"
Professor Lee Soo-jung Accused of "Secondary Harm as Sexual Violence Task Force Member"

Kim Nam-guk, Member of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, strongly criticized Kim Byung-wook, a member of the People Power Party who resigned after allegations of sexual assault surfaced, calling it a "scapegoat-style resignation." He also accused Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University, who is part of the People Power Party's Special Committee on Sexual Violence Countermeasures, of representing the party's stance rather than the victim's, claiming she committed 'secondary harm.'

On the 8th, Kim wrote on his Facebook, "The People Power Party's attitude of scapegoat-style resignation and dismissing the specifically revealed incident as false without any investigation or inquiry, thereby covering up the case, is something that cannot be lightly overlooked."

He continued, "There are allegations that Kim Byung-wook sexually assaulted a secretary from another lawmaker's office when he was an aide, and these allegations are quite detailed," adding, "There are testimonies and witnesses regarding the situation at the time, as well as documentary evidence supporting it. If the allegations are proven true, this would be a clear case of power-based sexual crime."

He further stated, "The People Power Party and Emergency Committee Chairman Kim Jong-in's attitude toward the power-based sexual crime allegations is shocking in its insincerity, superficiality, lack of will to investigate the truth, and disregard," criticizing, "The Emergency Committee abruptly canceled meetings just because the person involved resigned from the party, and Chairman Kim Jong-in responded insincerely, saying something to the effect of 'He resigned, so what more do you want me to do? I don't even want to hear about it.'"

Regarding Professor Lee's remarks that "various suspicions should be considered due to the potential impact on the by-election," Kim also criticized her, saying, "A member of the Special Committee on Sexual Violence Countermeasures, who should be at the forefront protecting victims, instead committed secondary harm," adding, "Her qualifications as a committee member are questionable. Is the 'gender sensitivity' that Professor Lee usually emphasizes only applicable to others?"

Professor Lee Soo-jung, Department of Criminal Psychology, Kyonggi University, member of the People Power Party's Special Committee on Sexual Violence Countermeasures / Photo by Yonhap News

In an interview with 'Newsis' on the same day, Professor Lee said about Kim's resignation, "It seems that the (sexual assault allegations) have not yet been confirmed," but added, "It was the right decision to announce the resignation based on the allegations alone."

She continued, "The victim has not come forward yet, and it is unclear whether there is a victim or not," pointing out, "Usually, cases do not proceed like that. Therefore, various suspicions arise."

She also said, "If such an incident (sexual assault) occurred but has not been revealed, the victim can report it now and go through proper criminal procedures," adding, "The by-election is just around the corner, and there is a risk that someone might cause trouble by indirectly submitting tips with some intention. We need to be very cautious. Why would a victim not do 'Me too' if they could?"

Earlier, the YouTube channel 'Garosero Research Institute' reported on the 6th that they received a witness account alleging that Kim, when he was a parliamentary aide in October 2018, sexually assaulted an intern secretary, Ms. A, from another lawmaker's office at a hotel in Gyeongbuk.

Immediately after the broadcast, Kim posted on Facebook, saying, "This is completely untrue," and "I will take strong civil and criminal legal actions immediately."

The next day (7th), Kim issued a statement saying, "I am resigning to avoid burdening the party," and "I will return after proving my innocence."

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