Former Secretary Files Sexual Harassment Complaint Against Park Won-soon on the 8th
Secondary Victimization Posts Appear on Some Online Communities
"Was It Exploitation?" Conspiracy Theories Raised
[Asia Economy reporters Seunggon Han and intern reporter Juhyung Lim] With the confirmation of the death of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, concerns over secondary harm are growing as some supporters are reportedly engaging in so-called 'doxxing' of a former secretary who filed a sexual harassment complaint against Mayor Park on the 8th.
Threatening posts aimed at harming the victim have appeared, and conspiracy theories suggesting that the secretary might have deceived Mayor Park have also been raised.
On the 10th, numerous posts appeared on internet communities where some supporters of Mayor Park seemed to shift the responsibility for the mayor's death onto former secretary A. One netizen even posted threatening messages claiming to have identified A's identity and intending to harm her.
On the same day, a post titled "There are X people working in the Secretary's Office. Now the high ground is in sight" was uploaded to the ruling party-leaning 'Ddanzi Ilbo' free board. The author said they were reviewing publicly available Seoul City Hall records to find those who worked in the Seoul Mayor's Secretary's Office in 2017 and stated, "Once found, as a fellow woman, I will give her a proper lesson."
On that day, an internet community also raised conspiracy theories regarding former secretary A, who filed a complaint against Mayor Park on charges of sexual harassment. / Photo by Internet Community Capture
Meanwhile, some have claimed that A might have used a 'beauty trap' tactic. In a post titled "Isn't this a beauty trap?" on the online community 'Clien,' the author wrote, "Of course, she probably thought of the other party as a personal relationship and trusted him, but a beauty trap exploits that point in reverse," and questioned, "How many men would act pervertedly when someone says no?"
As concerns over secondary harm to the complainant grow, calls for restraint have also emerged. Judge Ryu Young-jae of Daegu District Court wrote on his Facebook that, "Since it has been confirmed that there was a complaint against the deceased, I will block those who spread secondary harm or conspiracy theories about the complainant," emphasizing, "I do not presume the complaint to be true, but I believe that secondary harm to the complainant, especially spreading conspiracy theories, should not be allowed."
Meanwhile, Mayor Park left his official residence around 10:44 a.m. on the previous day (9th) and lost contact. On the same day at 5:17 p.m., Mayor Park's daughter reported to the police that "my father left home about 4 to 5 hours ago after leaving what seemed like a will and his phone is turned off," filing a missing person report.
The police and fire authorities conducted a search operation from 5:30 p.m. for six and a half hours and found Mayor Park's body near Sukjeongmun in Jongno-gu, Seoul.
It was reported that Mayor Park was accused of sexual harassment by A on the 8th. However, with Mayor Park found deceased, the case is expected to be closed due to 'lack of prosecution rights.'
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