Baek Bok-ju, Vice Representative of the Justice Party, "Disclosure of Drinking Status and Victim Facts Clouds the Essence of the Incident"

Bae Bok-ju, Vice President and Head of the Gender and Human Rights Headquarters of the Justice Party, is wiping away tears on the morning of the 25th at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, while announcing the decisions of the leadership meeting regarding the sexual harassment case involving former party leader Kim Jong-chul and Assemblywoman Jang Hye-young.
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Bae Bokju, Vice Representative and Head of the Gender and Human Rights Headquarters of the Justice Party, has released a lengthy response regarding the sexual harassment incident involving Party Leader Kim Jongcheol.

On the night of the 25th, Vice Representative Bae responded to questions about the fact that Leader Kim sexually harassed party lawmaker Jang Hyeyeong in a post on her Facebook.

She began by saying, "I believe many were shocked and deeply distressed upon learning about the sexual harassment incident involving Leader Kim Jongcheol today. I have written responses to the questions I received from party members. I hope this will be helpful."

Vice Representative Bae first explained the reason for conducting a confidential investigation for a week from the 18th, when lawmaker Jang reported the sexual harassment to the party, until the 25th, saying, "It was due to concerns about secondary harm that always occurs in sexual violence cases."

She said, "During the investigation, if the details of the incident were leaked, the victim's position could be distorted and not conveyed accurately. To prevent this, we aimed to respect the victim's wishes and demands as much as possible, and to have a communication process that leads to an agreement where the perpetrator acknowledges, apologizes, takes responsibility, and proposes solutions with a promise to implement them."

Regarding why the specific details of the victimization were not disclosed, she stated, "When judging sexual harassment based on the severity of the act, people tend to say things like 'It's not that bad' or 'Why make a fuss over that,' relying on personal preconceptions. This also creates unnecessary controversy and obscures the essence of the incident."

Vice Representative Bae also dismissed questions about whether the parties involved had been drinking, saying, "Alcohol consumption is not a factor considered in determining the substantive truth of the incident," and "Drinking is unrelated to this case."

Justice Party leader Kim Jong-chul is holding a New Year's press conference at the National Assembly on the 20th./Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

Regarding the decision to disclose lawmaker Jang’s real name, she said, "The victim must make the best choice suitable for her own recovery of daily life," and "(The party) respected the victim’s decision and supported it."

On why Leader Kim was not reported to the police, she explained, "The victim’s decision is to hold the perpetrator strictly accountable and discipline him at the Justice Party level," and "(Lawmaker Jang) judged that a communal resolution method would be more effective for the party. Respecting this is the priority." It was previously reported that lawmaker Jang did not consider legal procedures such as criminal charges against former Leader Kim.

She added, "Of course, sexual violence crimes are non-complaint offenses, so police can conduct investigations ex officio and third-party reports are possible. However, if the victim clearly states the resolution method she wants, can we really say that investigating against her will is for her benefit?"

Regarding the timing of disciplinary action against Leader Kim, she said, "According to the Justice Party’s constitution and regulations, the leadership filed a complaint against the party leader to the Central Party Ethics Committee and suspended his position," and "The disciplinary decision will be made following that procedure. However, the fact that he is the party leader will be fully considered when determining the severity of the punishment." She added that the Central Party Ethics Committee is an independent body and the leadership cannot intervene.

Vice Representative Bae also stated, "We do not simply define this incident as an individual’s deviant act. We must examine whether the organizational culture tolerates or condones gender discrimination and sexual violence," and "The Justice Party has made efforts to handle this entire process carefully and swiftly. We will also thoroughly consider and inform party members of plans to prevent recurrence in the future."

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