Jo Dong-yeon Clarifies, Apologizes Saying He Could Not Imagine 'Sexual Assault Pregnancy' - Political Commentator

Jo Dong-yeon, former co-chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea's election campaign committee
Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Former co-chairperson of the Democratic Party's election committee, Cho Dong-yeon, has stated that the controversy over an illegitimate child is due to "an unwanted pregnancy resulting from sexual assault." In response, political commentator Yoo Chang-sun, who had been consistently critical of Cho, apologized, saying he "could not have imagined" this.

On the 5th, Yoo posted on his Facebook, "I read the statement. It was something I could not have imagined. While there are various reactions to the explanation, my judgment is that no one would fabricate such a story as a lie."

He continued, "I apologize to the person involved for having labeled it as 'a destruction of human ethics' and posting my opinion," adding, "I have taken down all related posts."

He also wrote, "I believe there should be no further discussions dredging up those past events, such as the need to verify the explanation in the statement," and concluded, "I am cautious about discussing various things without knowing more details, so I will keep this brief."

Prior to the release of the statement, Yoo had criticized Cho, saying, "There are more people than expected who defend her by saying that changing the child's father through lies is a private matter unrelated to the public sphere, so she should not resign," and "Some even argue that Lee Jae-myung should have protected her. The core issue is not infidelity or an illegitimate child, but the act of deceitfully changing the child's father through lies."

He further stated, "A person who commits such a heinous act that ruins the lives of the child and husband just to save themselves should not be involved in politics, whether it has been 10 or 20 years," and "No matter how politics is these days, politics should be like that."

Meanwhile, Cho was selected as the Democratic Party's election committee's 'first recruited talent,' attracting significant attention, but shortly after, she became embroiled in the 'illegitimate child controversy' and voluntarily resigned on the 3rd.

Subsequently, Yang Tae-jung, a lawyer from the Democratic Party's election committee legal support team, stated, "She experienced an unwanted pregnancy due to a horrific sexual assault," and "At that time, Cho's marital relationship was effectively broken, and due to her religious belief that she could not kill the life in her womb, she decided to take sole responsibility and give birth with the intention of raising the child."

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