"No Apology or Truth Investigation" Criticism Pours on Victim Complainants... Women's Groups Express Outrage

Police Close Case of Sexual Harassment Accusation Against Mayor Park
Women’s Groups Criticize Secondary Harm Like Doxxing
Support and Solidarity for Victims Grow via Hashtags
Experts Say Secondary Harm Hinders Progress of Hierarchical Sexual Violence Cases

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 memorial altar.
Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suwan] Following the death of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, the sexual harassment accusation case against him was closed due to lack of prosecution, but secondary victimization against the accuser continues, sparking intense controversy.

In particular, since Mayor Park took his own life without apologizing to the woman who reported the victimization, voices of criticism against him are growing among women. This is because the victim was deprived of the opportunity to reveal the facts of the abuse due to Mayor Park's death.

Women's groups have voiced solidarity in support of the victim and strongly condemned the secondary victimization.

On the 12th, according to women's organizations, civic groups such as the Korean Women's Associations United (KWAU), Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center (KSVRC), Korean Women's Movement United (KWMU), and Korea Women's Hotline (KWH) issued consecutive solidarity statements supporting the victim.

This is because, with the sudden death of Mayor Park resulting in the accusation being concluded as 'lack of prosecution,' making it difficult to investigate the truth, secondary victimization against the victim is spreading.

KWAU stated in a recent statement, "We support the courage of the victim who revealed her experience and will stand with her on this path."

KWMU also urged, "Seoul City must uncover the truth to prevent further harm and stand with the victim." KWH said, "We are outraged by the aspect of our society that once again sides with the perpetrator rather than the victim after Mayor Park's sexual harassment accusation."

The Korean Women Journalists Association released a statement titled "The death of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is regrettable, but protecting the accuser is a priority." The association said, "Although the current legal system decided there is no prosecution in this case, it does not exempt society from the responsibility to uncover the truth."

It added, "Above all, we express deep concern over the accuser being exposed to indiscriminate secondary victimization," emphasizing, "This case must not undermine the momentum of the Me Too movement or discourage the courage of victims."

Photo by Yonhap News

These solidarity statements from women's groups are interpreted as concerns over ignoring the accuser's pain and unilaterally glorifying the deceased.

Previously, actor Jo Min-ki also took his own life after being accused as a perpetrator in the Me Too movement. At that time, controversy arose as he chose death without facing trial. His death led to the sexual harassment investigation being closed due to lack of prosecution.

The problem is that after the accused's death, baseless slanders such as doxxing and conspiracy theories against the accuser are pouring out.

Currently, on the internet, indiscriminate criticism against the accuser continues, including blaming the former secretary for Mayor Park's death.

Ji Mo (alias Lee Oha), 'Whistleblower X' who reported the 'media collusion' suspicion to MBC, claimed that "the woman who accused Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment is a former secretary of former lawmaker Na Kyung-won." In response, former lawmaker Na is reportedly planning to sue Ji and others for spreading false information.

On the 9th, an unverified photo claiming to be of Mayor Park's accuser was posted on an online community board. The photo showed a female employee participating in a Seoul City event.

However, upon investigation, the circulated photo was confirmed to be of an employee unrelated to the case. The employee reportedly filed a complaint with the Cyber Safety Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 10th.

As the photo of an unrelated employee spread online, Seoul City stated, "This is fake news that has not undergone fact-checking, causing an innocent employee unrelated to the matter to suffer severe mental distress. If the photo is further distributed online or via messengers like KakaoTalk, or related content is re-disseminated, strong legal action will be taken."

As secondary victimization such as doxxing and criticism against Mayor Park's accuser continued, the victimized woman is currently receiving psychological counseling through the police.

Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, on social networking services (SNS) such as Twitter, voices calling for solidarity with the accuser and demands for truth investigation are growing.

Women are continuing criticism through hashtag campaigns on SNS such as '#Solidarity_with_the_victim_who_accused_Park_Won-soon', '#Oppose_Seoul_City_5-day_funeral_for_Park_Won-soon', and '#Victim_Solidarity.'

Sim Sang-jung, leader of the Justice Party, also criticized the secondary victimization against the accuser. After paying respects at Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall on the 10th, Sim said, "Doxxing or secondary victimization against the accuser must never happen," adding, "I hope everyone remembers that this situation is not the accuser's fault."

Experts point out that the wave of mourning online and in political circles ultimately makes the victim's situation more difficult.

Seo Seung-hee, head of the Korea Cyber Sexual Violence Response Center, analyzed, "There is clear secondary victimization, such as claiming this case is an organized smear campaign or dismissing voices of victim solidarity as defamatory remarks," adding, "This can be described as a 'stage where power is exercised.'"

She continued, "All behaviors that dismiss the sexual harassment allegations as if they never happened erase the victim's voice," emphasizing, "This trend that intimidates victims contributes to the failure to properly address hierarchical sexual violence cases."

Meanwhile, as secondary victimization such as criticizing or doxxing the accuser continues separately from the investigation after Mayor Park's death, the police have taken a tough stance. The police plan to secure evidence of malicious posts about the accuser online and investigate. They also plan to take active protective measures if the accuser requests them.