"Not the Kind of Person Husband Park Won-soon Is" Letter from Wife Kang Nan-hee, What Do You Think?

Controversy Over Handwritten Appeal by Kang Nan-hee, Late Mayor Park Won-soon's Wife
"My Husband Park Won-soon Is Not That Kind of Person"
"We Must Believe in Park Won-soon's Morality and Restore It"

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] A handwritten letter written by Kang Nan-hee, the wife of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, has been made public, sparking controversy. Recently, the National Human Rights Commission ruled that Park's actions constituted sexual harassment, but the letter contains content that essentially denies all of Park's charges, stating that "the truth has not yet been revealed." The victim's side expressed regret.

Kim Yong-min, director of the Peace Tree and a former member of the podcast "I Am a Trickster" (Naggomsu), shared a post on his Facebook on the 6th, saying, "Finally, Mrs. Kang Nan-hee, the wife of Mayor Park Won-soon, has issued a statement," and shared a photo posted on the Facebook account of the "Blue Dia," a rights party member group of the Democratic Party prepared for political reform.

The handwritten letter was dated the 6th and is two pages long on A4 paper. The author is Kang Nan-hee, the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's wife. Director Kim stated in a phone interview with a media outlet, "After confirming through another acquaintance, it was confirmed that the handwritten letter was indeed written by the mayor's wife."

The letter contains statements such as "I believe the truth has not yet been revealed," "My husband Park Won-soon is not that kind of person," and "We must believe in and restore Park Won-soon's morality." This essentially denies the National Human Rights Commission's investigation result on the 25th of last month, which regarded Park's behavior as sexual harassment.

The Human Rights Commission announced that the inappropriate messages and photos sent to the victim by Park constitute sexual harassment as sexual conduct that causes sexual humiliation or disgust.

Earlier, on the 14th of last month, the court also acknowledged that specific circumstances such as text messages sent by Park to the victim were factual.

The Seoul Central District Court Criminal Division 31 (Presiding Judge Cho Sung-pil) held a sentencing hearing in the morning for Mr. A, a Seoul city employee indicted on charges of quasi-rape causing injury, sentencing him to 3 years and 6 months in prison and ordering his immediate detention. The victim in this case is also the woman who accused Park Won-soon of sexual harassment.

The victim filed a police complaint in July last year, alleging that she was continuously sexually harassed by Mayor Park. After the complaint, former Mayor Park took his own life and was found deceased.

Former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who took his own life in July last year after being accused of sexual harassment [Image source=Yonhap News]

The court stated the sentencing rationale, saying, "(Defendant A) committed the crime by raping a victim who was intoxicated and unable to resist, causing injury, which is a serious offense," and added, "Furthermore, the crime was committed against a workplace colleague, causing significant secondary harm, and the victim is experiencing difficulties reintegrating into society."

The court also ruled that the sexual harassment allegations against former Mayor Park were valid. The court said, "(The victim's testimony includes) that after working under former Mayor Park for one and a half years, Park sent obscene texts and photos of himself in underwear, and messages such as 'I want to smell you' and 'Please send me photos,'" and added, "Considering these statements, it is true that the victim suffered considerable mental distress due to Park's sexual misconduct."

Following the court's acknowledgment of the sexual harassment allegations against Park, on the 25th, the Human Rights Commission stated, "It is possible to recognize as factual the victim's claims that Park sent inappropriate messages, photos, and emoticons late at night and touched the victim's nails and hands after nail art in his office," and concluded, "Such acts by Park constitute sexual conduct that causes sexual humiliation or disgust."

The full committee cited evidence such as digital forensic analysis of the victim's mobile phone, testimonies from witnesses, and the specificity and consistency of the victim's statements as the basis for this conclusion.

After the Human Rights Commission announced that the sexual harassment allegations against Park were recognized as factual, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, apologized on the 27th of last month, saying, "We take the National Human Rights Commission's investigation results on former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's sexual harassment seriously," and "We deeply apologize once again to the victim and her family."

The victim's side immediately expressed regret. There are criticisms that the late disclosure of the letter is fueling controversy, given that a national agency judged Park's behavior as sexual harassment and the Democratic Party has apologized.

Kim Jae-ryeon, the victim's legal representative, said in an interview with a media outlet, "I think they (Park Won-soon supporters) might be releasing this to believe in something they want to believe... If they want to verify the facts, I think forensic analysis of Mayor Park's phone would be a good method."

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