Criticism from Women's Groups on Oh Keo-don's Warrant Dismissal: "No Arrest Worries If You Have Power and Money"

Court: "Serious Case but Confession Made"
Women's Groups: "Court Lacks Gender Sensitivity"

Former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don is attending a pre-arrest detention hearing at the Busan District Court in Yeonje-gu, Busan, on the morning of the 2nd. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] The Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center, which is protecting the victim, strongly criticized the dismissal of the arrest warrant for former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, who is accused of sexually harassing a subordinate employee in his office.

The 'Oh Keo-don Sexual Violence Case Joint Countermeasure Committee,' a coalition of over 200 women's and civic organizations nationwide including the Busan Sexual Violence Counseling Center, stated in a press release on the 2nd, "Was it wrong to expect the court to have gender sensitivity regarding sexual violence cases involving high-ranking public officials?" and criticized, "Times are changing, but the court still has not changed."

The counseling center pointed out, "The judge in charge of the warrant hearing gave the public the answer that 'people with power and money can stand trial without worrying about detention even if they commit serious crimes,'" and added, "The court missed the opportunity to set a milestone to prevent sexual violence crimes by those in power and to emphasize the gravity of public office."

They continued, "The victim is still suffering from continuous secondary victimization and does not know when they can safely return to their workplace," and said, "The victim has not yet returned to daily life, but only the perpetrator’s arrest warrant was dismissed and he returned to daily life."

Furthermore, they repeatedly criticized the court’s decision, saying, "We fear that the perpetrator, who committed a serious sexual violence crime, will not only receive a non-custodial trial but also a light punishment due to reasons such as being a first-time offender."

Finally, they emphasized, "As the victim revealed, the perpetrator committed a clear sexual crime subject to legal punishment," and "Even though the perpetrator resigned, the social impact he caused is enormous. The court overlooked the fact that high-ranking public officials should be punished more strictly and fulfill the responsibility of public authority."

Kim Gyuri, Chairperson of the Busan Women's Organizations Council, said, "Power-based sexual harassment is a heinous crime, but it is questionable whether the seriousness of the case was properly addressed," and added, "The women's community has neither received a sincere apology regarding this matter nor accepted the way it is being swept under the rug, which causes anger."

Earlier, Judge Cho Hyun-chul, head of the criminal division 1 at Busan District Court responsible for warrants, dismissed the warrant on the day, stating, "Former Mayor Oh acknowledges the details of the crime, and there is little concern about evidence tampering."

Judge Cho explained the reason for dismissal, saying, "Considering the place and time of the crime, the content, and the relationship with the victim, the case is serious, but since all evidence has been secured and former Mayor Oh acknowledges the crime, and considering his stable residence, family relations, and age, it is difficult to recognize the necessity of detention at this stage."

Accordingly, former Mayor Oh will be investigated while not in custody.

Meanwhile, former Mayor Oh is accused of calling a female employee to his office during working hours in early April and sexually harassing her.