Jihyun Park 'Child Sexual Assault' Controversy? "False Information... No Leniency for Cyber Terrorism"

Some Hardline Democratic Party Supporters Leak Park's Personal Information Amid 'Child Sexual Assault' Criticism
"Clear Act of Terror... Will No Longer Stay Silent" Legal Action Announced

A post uploaded on the 8th by Park Ji-hyun, former co-chair of the Democratic Party of Korea, on Facebook. / Screenshot of former Chair Park's Facebook

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Yunjin Kim] Former co-chairperson of the Democratic Party, Park Jihyun, expressed outrage at the party’s hardcore supporters who have falsely accused her of sexual assault and publicly spread her personal information, calling it a "cyber terror by a violent fandom," and announced plans for legal action.

At midnight on the 8th, Park posted on her social media (SNS), "This is truly devastating. This has inevitably happened," and revealed, "A male YouTuber stood in front of a house he claimed was mine and conducted a live streaming broadcast criticizing me."

She explained that this male YouTuber accused her of being a child sexual offender, saying, "You accused Representative Choi Kang-wook of sexual harassment and had him suspended from party membership for six months... Child sexual offender Park Jihyun." This YouTuber is known as a progressive-leaning figure who has publicly supported Representative Lee Jae-myung and former party leader Song Young-gil, and is famous among the Democratic Party’s hardcore supporters. The streaming video mentioned by Park has been deleted from the channel.

Earlier, on the 6th, an internet media outlet stirred controversy by sharing a video Park had posted on SNS in the past, raising allegations of child sexual assault. The video showed Park passing a snack held in her mouth to a young boy’s mouth. Some supporters in online communities such as "Jaemyeong’s Village," where supporters of Representative Lee and the Democratic Party’s hardcore base gather, criticized Park, who has been strict about responding to sexual violence, claiming she also has a history of sexual assault and called her the "ultimate 'Park Ro-nam-bul' (a portmanteau of Park Jihyun and 'double standards')."

In response, Park explained, "At the church I attended, I lovingly cared for the baby by changing diapers and feeding him. He is a baby I have known since birth," and clarified, "The photo released to the media only shows me playing with the baby I saw every Sunday, teasing him with a snack."

Park stated that supporters of Representative Lee have leaked her personal information and continued verbal abuse, and she plans to take legal measures. She pointed out, "Cyber attacks are neither politics nor support. They are clear acts of terror against a young female politician," and warned, "I will no longer just watch. I will take legal action without fail against cyber sexual violence, spreading false information, and defamation crimes."

Recently, Park has publicly criticized Representative Lee. On the 7th, she directly confronted him on her SNS, saying, "Did you seat me as a decoration? Representative Lee, please respond directly," regarding the disqualification from running in the party convention. With Park’s announcement of a strong response to the violent behavior of Lee’s supporters, the rift between the two appears to be deepening.

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