Lawyer for Park Won-soon: "Touching the victim's hand was because he was showing off his nail art and reached out"

The memorial altar for the late Park Won-soon, former Mayor of Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Jeong Cheolseung, the legal representative of the family of the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, has been posting daily on social media under the title 'Facts Related to the Park Won-soon Case' to clarify the facts regarding the sexual harassment allegations.

On the 12th, Jeong posted on his Facebook a message titled 'Facts Related to the Park Won-soon Case 2,' claiming, "The National Human Rights Commission recognized sexual harassment based solely on uncertain testimonies from the victim and witnesses without any objective evidence."

He referred to the female victim as Kim Jandi and stated, "On July 16, 2020, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency formed a dedicated task force (TF) team of 46 investigators and conducted an intensive investigation for over five months, but they failed to uncover any evidence regarding the sexual harassment allegations against former Mayor Park."

He continued, "On December 29, 2020, the investigation announcement stated that 'the sexual harassment accusation against former Mayor Park will be sent to the prosecution with a non-prosecution opinion (no right to prosecute) due to the death of the accused (Mayor Park),' and that 'the case involving the forced molestation assistance charges against seven people, including the Deputy Mayor of Seoul and former and current secretaries, will also be sent to the prosecution with a non-prosecution opinion (no charges) due to lack of evidence,' thus concluding the investigation."

Regarding the National Human Rights Commission's (NHRC) ex officio investigation, he raised procedural issues, stating, "According to Article 46 of the National Human Rights Commission Act, when the respondent (the accused) has died, the NHRC cannot conduct an investigation because it must provide the respondent an opportunity to state their opinion before recommending remedial measures."

About the investigation results, he argued, "The act of former Mayor Park touching Kim Jandi's nails and hands, which had been done with nail art, was because Kim Jandi approached Mayor Park, who was talking with guests, and proudly showed her hands, so Mayor Park awkwardly examined her hands. There are even eyewitnesses on site stating that this was not a sexual harassment situation, which has led to much criticism."

Earlier, on the 10th, Jeong had claimed in a post titled 'Facts Related to the Park Won-soon Case 1' that "Kim Jandi worked as former Mayor Park's secretary for four years and was well aware that he was making great efforts to run for the presidency, and she exploited this as a political risk."

Previously, in January, the NHRC announced the result that "there was sexual harassment by former Mayor Park against the victim." At that time, the NHRC explained, "Based on evidence such as digital forensic analysis of the victim's mobile phone, testimonies from witnesses who heard or saw messages from the victim at the time of the incident, and the specificity and consistency of the victim's statements, it is possible to recognize the claim that former Mayor Park sent inappropriate messages and photos to the victim late at night as factual."

They added, "Considering that former Mayor Park was unable to exercise his right to defense such as giving testimony, the fact-finding was judged more strictly than in other sexual harassment cases," and stated, "Nevertheless, this case involved sexual objectification of a subordinate employee, and from the victim's perspective, it was an act that could cause sexual humiliation and disgust."

However, Jeong countered, "The NHRC partially accepted only the victim's claims and made a decision that former Mayor Park committed sexual misconduct," and argued, "Even according to the victim's claims, former Mayor Park did not commit sexual violence such as rape or forced molestation. The issue is generally about whether the acts constitute sexual harassment."

In response, the NHRC stated, "The administrative litigation process is underway," and "We will express our position once the results are out." The first hearing of this lawsuit is scheduled for the 7th of next month.

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