Victim of Park Won-soon: "The person who harmed my dignity has disappointed me by abandoning their own dignity"

On the 13th, reporters are lining up in front of the Korean Women's Hotline in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, to attend a press conference regarding the sexual harassment case involving the Seoul mayor. / Photo by Mun Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Jung-yoon] On the 13th, Ms. A, a Seoul city employee who claimed to have been sexually harassed by the late Mayor Park Won-soon, mentioned the mayor's extreme choice, saying, "The person who harmed my dignity has relinquished human dignity himself."

On the same day, at a press conference on the 'Power Sexual Harassment Case by the Seoul Mayor' held at the Korea Women's Hotline Education Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Ms. A expressed through a statement read by Kim Hye-jung, Deputy Director of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, "I wanted (Mayor Park) to be judged by the law in the rule-of-law country Republic of Korea and (I) to receive a sincere apology," revealing her position.

She added, "The two words 'death' were something I could not bring myself to say because I was afraid it would hurt those who loved me even during the painful times caused by the sexual harassment," and said, "Therefore, (Mayor Park's death) is disappointing."

On the same day, Ms. A opened up about the reason for filing a complaint against Mayor Park on charges of sexual harassment and her feelings after his death. She said, "It was foolish to think I could cover the sky with my palm," and added, "I should have screamed, cried out, and reported it right away when (the sexual harassment) first happened." She emphasized, "I wanted to shout at him, 'Don't do this,' cry out that it was hard, and forgive him."

While saying, "I pray for the deceased's happiness," she also said, "The reality that does not change despite more than 500,000 people's appeals (the Blue House petition opposing Mayor Park Won-soon's Seoul mayoralty) is suffocating," and added, "I am a living person. I hope that my daily life and that of my family can be fully restored."