Kwon Seong-dong on Sexual Harassment Allegations: "I Only Complimented Her as Beautiful"... Ruling Party Says "Unconvincing"

Kwon Seong-dong on Sexual Harassment Allegations: "Malicious Plot"

Kwon Seong-dong, Secretary General of the People Power Party. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Regarding the sexual harassment allegations against Kwon Seong-dong, Secretary General of the People Power Party, the ruling party urged on the 14th, "We hope he will clearly explain the situation at the time of the incident to the public and apologize."

Kim Woo-young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election campaign committee, said in a briefing that day, "Reports have emerged that Secretary General Kwon sexually harassed a female citizen at a drinking party in his constituency, which was attended by Representative Lee Jun-seok, immediately after Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, held a campaign event in Gangwon Province."

He pointed out, "The victim immediately reported the incident to the police at the scene, and it is known that the police even dispatched officers to the scene afterward. Regarding this report, Secretary General Kwon only said 'She is beautiful' as a compliment and claimed that he merely greeted a supporter, stating that this is a political conspiracy against him."

He continued, "This explanation is unconvincing. Why would someone who received a compliment call 112? The police acknowledge that they dispatched officers but say they cannot disclose other details," he criticized.

Furthermore, he emphasized, "Secretary General Kwon is not hesitating to threaten the media that reported the incident, which involved police dispatch, with 'strong legal action.' As a politician, before threatening and mentioning legal measures, it is a priority to clearly clarify the facts of that day."

Finally, Spokesperson Kim stressed, "We hope Yoon, who is a close friend and key associate of Secretary General Kwon, keeps in mind that the public is watching what actions he will take regarding Kwon."

Earlier, the YouTube media outlet 'Yeollin Gonggam TV' raised allegations on the 10th that Secretary General Kwon made sexually harassing remarks at a bar in Gangneung, which Yoon visited during his campaign schedule in Gangwon Province. The outlet claimed that Kwon made physical contact with a wife of a couple and said, "Is there such a beautiful woman in Gangneung?" and told the husband, "You walked very well even though you crossed your legs."

In response, Secretary General Kwon immediately issued a statement saying, "The report by Yeollin Gonggam TV is not true and is a malicious conspiracy," and announced strong legal action.

Kwon rebutted, "He (the husband) introduced her as his wife, so I complimented her as a beauty and said something to the effect of 'You made a good marriage.' That is all. The couple said 'Thank you' to me as they left, and it is completely groundless that I sexually harassed or made physical contact as Yeollin Gonggam TV claimed."

Regarding the police dispatch, he stated, "The police did not come before I left around 12:50 a.m., and I have not been contacted since."

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