The Democratic Party's Ethics Code Still Uses the Term 'Victim Complainant'... Park Ji-hyun Requests Its Removal

Former Emergency Response Committee Chair of the Democratic Party, Park Ji-hyun, announced on the 5th that she has delivered proposals to eradicate 'power-based sexual crimes' to the Democratic Party Innovation Committee.

On the same day, Park posted on her social media (SNS), "Today, a forum titled 'Power-Based Sexual Crimes: The Path to a Safe Democratic Party' was held at the National Assembly. I briefly summarized the following five proposals and delivered them to Kim Eun-kyung, Chair of the Democratic Party Innovation Committee."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The proposals Park delivered to the Innovation Committee consist of five key points: ▲ Elevating the function and status of the Gender Violence Reporting Center ▲ Establishing a support system for the daily recovery of victims of power-based sexual crimes ▲ Revising laws related to sexual violence, party regulations, and ethical codes ▲ Mandating comprehensive gender equality education without blind spots ▲ Formulating and distributing gender equality protocol guidelines.

The proposals include urgently appointing a currently vacant center director to elevate the status of the Gender Violence Reporting Center, guaranteeing the director’s term and authority, and granting the director the power to convene the party affairs committee in the event of a power-based sexual crime incident.

Additionally, the proposals call for establishing a recovery support system for victims of power-based sexual crimes, immediately separating perpetrators and victims, and having the central party seek solutions when job-related issues such as dismissal or resignation arise.

The revisions to party regulations and ethical codes were also included. The term 'victim complainant,' which was problematic during the sexual harassment case involving former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, is to be removed from Article 14 of the ethical code, and the concept of secondary victimization is to be explicitly stated in the ethical code and related regulations. Furthermore, the proposals mandate convening the Ethics Special Committee within 14 days and impose an obligation on party leadership to prevent secondary harm.

Moreover, the proposals include establishing an effective gender equality education system in the form of workshops, and formulating and distributing gender equality protocol guidelines that prohibit representatives from performing personal errands and forbid private contact outside work hours after 9 p.m. Former Emergency Response Committee Chair Park Ji-hyun stated, "I will continue to raise my voice without stopping until the Democratic Party can sever ties with power-based sexual crimes," and added, "I hope that the Innovation Committee, the Democratic Party leadership, and all members of the National Assembly will work to ensure that gender equality is firmly established within the party."

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