Park Young-sun "I Apologize to Park Won-soon's Victims"... Jo Su-jin "What About the 'Three Complainants'?"

Candidate Park Young-sun "I will bear everything"
Jo Su-jin "Are you saying you refuse to expel Ko Min-jung, Nam In-soon, Jin Sun-mi from the camp?"

Park Young-sun, Democratic Party of Korea Seoul mayoral candidate / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Seoul mayor, apologized to the victim of the late Park Won-soon, former Seoul mayor, in the sexual harassment case, saying, "I ask for forgiveness." In response, Jo Su-jin, a member of the People Power Party, criticized, "Are you refusing to expel the 'three complainants' from the campaign?" She was referring to three female Democratic Party lawmakers recruited to Park's campaign, who had previously referred to victim A, who claimed sexual harassment, as a "complainant."

On the 17th, Park wrote on her Facebook, addressing victim A of the former mayor's sexual harassment case, "I think it must have been a very difficult day," and added, "I sincerely offer my condolences."

On the same day, victim A attended a press conference held at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul, and expressed the seriousness of the secondary damage she suffered. She said, "I want to forgive (the sexual harassment case) for my recovery, but in the current situation, I wonder who I should forgive," and pointed out, "The use of the term 'complainant' and the distortion of the case, which condone severe secondary damage, have been wrong from the beginning."

Victim A also criticized the Democratic Party's apology as insufficient. She said, "Former Democratic Party leader Lee Nak-yeon and candidate Park Young-sun apologized, but I feel they did not clearly specify what they were apologizing for," and added, "It was not only the responsibility of the Democratic Party for the serious wrongdoing of its affiliated politicians, but they also tried to minimize and distort my victimization by using the term 'complainant.'"

On the morning of the 17th, a seat for the victim of the late Park Won-soon sexual violence case was prepared at a press conference titled "Speaking Together with the Victims of the Seoul Mayor's Sexual Violence Case," held at a hotel in Myeong-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

Regarding this, Park said, "My name was mentioned at the press conference. That's right. I am the candidate," and added, "I sincerely apologize again and want to be forgiven."

She continued, "I want others in our party to say everything to me. I will bear all the responsibility," and emphasized, "Give me all the stories from the past and the future."

In response, Jo posted on Facebook that day, "About 10 hours after the victim's press conference, Park said, 'I will bear all the responsibility,'" and criticized, "This means she refused to expel the 'three complainants' from the campaign."

The "three complainants" mentioned by Jo refer to Democratic Party lawmakers Ko Min-jung, Nam In-soon, and Jin Sun-mi, who initially referred to victim A as a "complainant" in the early stages of the former mayor's sexual harassment case, sparking controversy over secondary damage. They are currently affiliated with Park's election campaign.

Regarding this, Jo said, "It is frustrating and regrettable whether the candidate sympathizes with the secondary damage caused by Ko Min-jung, Nam In-soon, and Jin Sun-mi, or whether she cannot decide on the campaign personnel," and added, "Park, who has served as a four-term lawmaker and minister, might have some unspoken circumstances." This implies that if Park sincerely intends to apologize to victim A, she should exclude these lawmakers from the campaign, or otherwise provide a clear explanation.

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