On the 12th, one day before the funeral of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, visitors continued to pay their respects at the Seoul City Hall citizen memorial altar. Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Cheol-eung] Members of the United Future Party urged to "stop the secondary harm against the accuser in the Park Won-soon mayor sexual harassment allegation."
On the 12th, 48 members including Jeon Ju-hye issued a statement saying, "First, we express our condolences for the late Mayor Park Won-soon's tragic choice and offer our sympathies to the bereaved family," adding, "Along with the shock over Mayor Park's extreme choice, on the afternoon of the 8th, a sexual harassment complaint against Mayor Park was filed at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, and it was reported that the victim is a former secretary."
They continued, "Some are blaming the victim of the sexual harassment allegation due to the shock of this incident. Secondary harm and personal attacks against the woman who reported the abuse have reached a serious level. Excessive secondary harm will undoubtedly cause even greater shock to the victim who barely found the courage to file the complaint."
They said, "We fully understand the sentiment of mourning the deceased and the need to show respect. However, who will protect the victim who, out of fear of the powerful figure of a three-term Seoul mayor, could not summon courage for years?" They pointed out, "This 'sexual harassment allegation' complaint case has been classified as 'no prosecution,' making it difficult for the police to continue investigating the case."
They added, "The accuser courageously sought legal accountability to escape the pain she endured, but she ended up suffering even greater pain by bearing that responsibility alone. We have witnessed and experienced many times in cases of sexual crimes by those in power that victims endure greater pain and social criticism than perpetrators."
The lawmakers stated, "No further harm should be inflicted on the vulnerable who bravely seek to protect themselves and receive protection through proper legal procedures," emphasizing, "Secondary harm to the accuser must be deeply recognized as placing an enormous burden on one person in a situation where the truth of the case can no longer be investigated. If such incidents repeat, no one will speak out in future power-related sexual crime cases."
The lawmakers who signed the statement are Kim Ki-hyun, Park Deok-heum, Lee Chae-ik, Park Dae-chul, Ha Tae-kyung, Yoo Ui-dong, Lee Dal-gon, Kim Seok-ki, Lee Cheol-gyu, Chu Kyung-ho, Sung Il-jong, Lee Man-hee, Kim Jeong-jae, Kim Seong-won, Kang Dae-sik, Kwon Myung-ho, Kim Mi-ae, Kim Byung-wook, Kim Seung-soo, Kim Young-sik, Kim Yong-pan, Kim Woong, Kim Eun-hye, Park Dae-soo, Park Sung-min, Park Soo-young, Bae Hyun-jin, Baek Jong-heon, Seo Beom-su, Shin Won-sik, Ahn Byung-gil, Yang Geum-hee, Yoo Kyung-joon, Yoo Sang-beom, Yoon Doo-hyun, Yoon Ju-kyung, Yoon Hee-sook, Lee Young, Lee Jong-sung, Jeon Ju-hye, Jeong Kyung-hee, Jo Myung-hee, Jo Tae-yong, Choi Seung-jae, Ha Young-je, Han Mu-gyeong, Heo Eun-ah, Hwang Bo-seung-hee.
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