[Comprehensive] "Treated as a sex toy"... Ruling party recruit Won Jong-geon faces 'Me Too' controversy

Democratic Party, New Recruit Won Jong-geon Faces 'Me Too' Controversy
Party "Verifying Facts"
Liberty Korea Party "Apologize to Women of Korea"
Famous for Appearing with Visually and Hearing-Impaired Mother on 2006 Broadcast

Won Jong-geon, a recruited talent of the Democratic Party of Korea, is declaring his candidacy for the 21st general election in a constituency at the National Assembly Press Hall on the 23rd. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] The Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is facing a 'Me Too' controversy regarding Won Jong-geon (27), who was strategically recruited ahead of the April 15 general election. On the DPK members' bulletin board, numerous posts are calling for a reconsideration of Won's recruitment. The Liberty Korea Party has demanded an apology, labeling him as 'shameless.' Won himself has not made any statements since the 'Me Too' allegations surfaced on the 27th.

The 'Me Too' controversy erupted when a woman identifying herself as Won's ex-girlfriend, referred to as A, posted on an internet cafe titled 'Exposing the truth about Won Jong-geon, the Democratic Party's second talent recruit who appeared on the program Exclamation Mark ＜Wake Up＞.'

In her post, A claimed, "Everything is 100% factual," and alleged, "Won Jong-geon continuously treated me, his girlfriend, as a sexual plaything and tormented me with misogyny and gaslighting (emotional abuse through psychological manipulation)."

A further posted "photos proving forced sexual advances," including four pictures showing bruises on her lower body and one screenshot of a KakaoTalk conversation. This post rapidly spread across social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

As the scandal expanded, over 100 posts appeared on the DPK members' bulletin board demanding a review of Won's recruitment.

The Liberty Korea Party officially called for an apology. Seong Il-jong, the party's floor spokesperson, issued a statement saying, "If all these allegations are true, Won is a shameless individual who regards women only as sexual playthings," and urged, "The Democratic Party must immediately withdraw Won's recruitment and offer a sincere apology to the women of the Republic of Korea."

He added, "The author, who claims to be Won's ex-girlfriend, began by stating, 'All the following content is based on my experience and is 100% factual, with not a trace of falsehood,'" and continued, "The revealed content and photos are so cruel and horrific that they are beyond words," criticizing, "If all these allegations are true, Won Jong-geon is a shameless person who sees women only as sexual playthings."

Democratic Party of Korea Talent Recruitment No. 2 Won Jong-geon [Image source=Yonhap News]

Spokesperson Seong criticized Won's interview after joining the DPK, where he said, "We need to assess how feminist issues are connected to policies and legislation in politics and increase the reflection rate. I believe this is a mission and the spirit of the times that the 21st National Assembly must fulfill." Seong commented, "If such a shameless person as described in the allegations publicly utters such words, it is truly chilling."

He added, "The photos presented by the author alone seem sufficient to prove Won's shameless acts," emphasizing, "Now, the Democratic Party and Won Jong-geon must choose whether to continue lying and pretending to be clean or to admit their mistakes and apologize."

Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon also wrote on his Facebook that day, "Democratic Party's second recruit. It seems the Me Too has erupted," adding, "The content is too harsh to even share."

Meanwhile, on the 27th, the Democratic Party stated they are "investigating the facts" regarding the allegations against Won and have yet to release an official position.

On the 23rd, Won held a press conference at the National Assembly, announcing, "I will not run for the Democratic Party's proportional representation in the 21st general election," and added, "I will run in a local constituency and participate in the primary."

He said, "I want to be chosen through the most meaningful and challenging competition and create an upset and surprise," and declared, "With youthful courage, I will prove from the grassroots level that young people are alive in this land and that our party can enable youth success."

Won, recruited as the Democratic Party's second talent at the end of last year, is well known for appearing on the 2006 MBC program 'Exclamation Mark - Wake Up' alongside his mother, who has multiple sensory disabilities.

Since his appearance, Won has consistently engaged in volunteer work, graduated from Kyung Hee University's Department of Media and Information, and worked in the social contribution team at eBay Korea.