Minjoo, Includes 'Non-Consent Rape Crime' Pledge Then Calls It a "Practical Mistake"

Democratic Party's General Election Pledge Includes Proposal to Amend Rape Law
People Power Party and Reform New Party Oppose Non-Consent Rape Law
Policy Committee: "Practical Error... Will Pursue as a Long-Term Task"

The Democratic Party of Korea initially included a pledge to introduce a 'non-consensual intercourse crime' in their general election manifesto but later retracted it, calling it a 'practical error.'

On the afternoon of the 27th, the Democratic Party's Policy Committee announced through a notice that "the inclusion of the non-consensual intercourse crime in the policy pledge submitted to the National Election Commission was a practical error," adding, "Although it was reviewed during the pledge preparation process, it was to be pursued as a long-term task and was not finalized as party policy." Earlier, the Democratic Party's general election policy manifesto titled 'The Democratic Party's Promise for a Vertical Rise in Quality of Life' included a plan to introduce the non-consensual intercourse crime, which sparked backlash in the political sphere.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, visited Incheon Singi Market on the 20th along with Heo Jong-sik, candidate for Incheon Dong-gu Michuhol-gap in the 22nd general election, and Nam Young-hee, candidate for Dong-gu Michuhol. They greeted citizens. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

In the 'Livelihood Recovery' section, the Democratic Party stated as the twentieth item under 'Gender Violence' that they would "amend Article 297 of the Criminal Act on rape by changing the elements of rape from 'violence or intimidation' to 'consent status'." The non-consensual intercourse crime aims to punish sexual assault acts carried out without consent as rape. Under current law, rape is defined as sexual intercourse by 'violence or intimidation,' but this standard would be expanded to include 'consent status.' The Democratic Party had also included this as one of their 'Top 10 Core Pledges' during the 21st general election.

After this information was made public, Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, expressed opposition. Speaking to reporters at Sinjeong Market in Nam-gu, Ulsan, the previous afternoon, Chairman Han said, "If the non-consensual intercourse crime is introduced, the burden of proof would fall on the accused rather than the prosecutor," warning that "this could lead to an increase in wrongful accusations." He added, "The current Supreme Court precedent is trending toward broadly interpreting the scope of violence and intimidation in rape cases," noting that "it is effectively approaching the level of 'consent.'"

Cheon Ha-ram, the General Election Committee Chairman of the Reform New Party, also opposed the introduction of the non-consensual intercourse crime. At a Central Election Committee meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Chairman Cheon questioned, "What exactly constitutes non-consent in the non-consensual intercourse crime, and what specific evidence is required to prove consent?" He criticized the proposal, saying, "It leaves a serious risk of defining rape solely because consent was not explicitly confirmed in a general relationship."

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