[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, who is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate employee in his office during working hours, complained of discomfort while waiting in the police station detention center after a pre-trial detention hearing (warrant review) on the 2nd and received hospital treatment.
After undergoing the warrant review in the afternoon, Oh waited in the detention center of the Dongnae Police Station in Busan and complained of chest tightness, so he was taken to the hospital for treatment accompanied by police officers. According to the hospital examination, his blood pressure was relatively high, but it was reported that there were no major health issues. The police then escorted former Mayor Oh back to the detention center by transport vehicle.
Oh appeared at the Busan District Court at 10:30 a.m. that day for the warrant review, presided over by Judge Cho Hyun-chul of the Criminal Division 1. Arriving at the court about 20 minutes before the hearing, Oh repeatedly said "I'm sorry" in response to reporters' questions such as "Do you admit to the forced sexual harassment?" and "What do you think about the possibility of detention?" before entering the courtroom directly.
The decision on whether to detain former Mayor Oh is expected to be made either later that afternoon or late at night.
Oh is accused of calling a subordinate employee to his office and sexually harassing them during working hours in early April. The employee reported the sexual harassment to the Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center after the incident. On April 23, when this fact became public, Oh admitted to the sexual harassment in a press conference and resigned. After his resignation, he disappeared for nearly a month and then appeared privately at the Busan Police Agency on the 22nd of last month to undergo suspect questioning.
The police judged that Oh's charges were serious and applied the charge of forced sexual harassment, requesting an arrest warrant. Under current law, forced sexual harassment is punishable by up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 15 million won. This is a heavier penalty than sexual harassment by abuse of authority during work, which is punishable by up to 3 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 15 million won.
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