Despite Tears of Park Won-soon Victims... Ongoing Controversy and Secondary Harm

Victim of Park Won-soon Case Holds Press Conference
Victim's Statement Causes Political Ripple
Continued Attacks Despite Appeals Against Secondary Harm

A seat is prepared for the victim of the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul, at the press conference titled "Speaking Together with the Victims of the Seoul Mayor's Power Sexual Violence Case," held on the 17th at a hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] "The clear fact is that I am the victim of this case from beginning to end."

"I feel powerless toward those who do not acknowledge my existence and the fact of the victimization, and who applaud the achievements of the former mayor."

A, the victim of the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul, who was sexually harassed, attended a press conference in person for the first time on the 17th and expressed these feelings. She shed tears while talking about the pain she endured. However, various controversies surrounding A continue even after her appeal.

A’s statements at the conference caused ripples in the political sphere. It dealt a fatal blow to the Democratic Party of Korea, especially to Park Young-sun, the Democratic Party’s Seoul mayoral candidate, and her campaign. A said, "I think the original reason for holding the election has been largely buried in the current situation," and added, "I fear that a mayor will be elected from the party that distorted my victimization and instead hurt me, making it impossible for me to reclaim my place."

She also said, "There are many people in the current election campaign who hurt me," and "Before apologizing, there should have been acknowledgment of the facts and follow-up measures. So far, the apologies have lacked sincerity and realism."

In response, candidate Park posted on her Facebook, saying, "I sincerely offer my condolences," and "I sincerely want to apologize again and seek forgiveness." Then, Democratic Party lawmakers Go Min-jung, Jin Sun-mi, and Nam In-soon, who caused controversy by calling A a 'victim claimant,' all apologized to A and resigned from Park’s campaign.

However, pro-government online communities opposed these remarks. One netizen claimed to have reported A, who is a public official, to the Seoul City Election Commission for violating the Public Official Election Act. A seemed aware of this, expressing concern, "Because of my status, expressing opinions during the election period may conflict with freedom of expression, so I am cautious."

Also controversial is the book titled Birth of Tragedy, compiled with testimonies from former and current public officials who worked in the Seoul mayor’s office from 2015 to 2020. The book contains content that refutes A’s victimization based on testimonies. It is said that some supporters of the late mayor Park posted photos online showing they purchased the book.

Regarding this, A stated at the conference, "I believe that the victimization recognized by national institutions and credible organizations carries more weight than claims written by individuals in books." She added, "I think discerning people will surely evaluate the book with the proper perspective."

Although A’s side disclosed the decision document of the ex officio investigation received from the National Human Rights Commission, secondary victimization online continues. The 59-page decision document states that from the second half of 2016 until February last year, the late Mayor Park mainly used Telegram to send sexually harassing messages to A.

According to the decision document, the messages included phrases like "Shall I come to your house?", "Are you alone?", and "Your scent is nice, sniff sniff." He also sent messages like "You looked great today" along with emoticons emphasizing a woman’s chest.

In response, supporters of the late mayor Park posted comments on online communities such as "Not only desecrating the deceased but also posthumous humiliation...", "A messed-up world where one becomes a criminal based solely on the other party’s claims without evidence," and "All messages are short sentences without context."

In response to such secondary victimization, the Korean Women’s Associations United issued a statement strongly urging, "We strongly demand sincere apologies from all secondary perpetrators who sided with the sexual harassment offender and caused pain to the victim," and questioned, "Isn’t protecting women who have suffered and ensuring offenders receive appropriate punishment what a society where law and justice live is about?" They also added, "We demand an immediate stop to statements that obscure the facts to defend the offender in cases of sexual harassment by power and to refrain from all words and actions that cause secondary harm."

A said she has endured difficult times due to secondary victimization. Through a statement read at the conference, she said, "His power continues to torment me even after he passed away because there are people who do not admit his wrongdoing," and "His power was used as a tool to protect the ideology of those who mercilessly harassed me, believing only their own sense of justice." However, despite A’s appeal, such situations continue to repeat.

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