[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun (Special Advisor on Gender Equality Policy at the Ministry of Justice) stated on the 13th regarding the sexual harassment allegations against the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, "On one side, they said I should take responsibility because someone died due to your Me Too."
Prosecutor Seo said in a post on her Facebook that day, "As a human rights lawyer, I also had a significant personal connection with the deceased who lived as a human rights lawyer. Like everyone who is grieving, it was hard to endure with just personal shock and a kind of resentment," she said.
Regarding not expressing her position after Mayor Park's death, she explained, "Messages poured in without giving me time to even grieve personally," adding, "On one side, they said let's go to the condolence together, and on the other side, they said let's meet the victim together."
She further explained, "On one side, they said you should take responsibility because someone died due to your Me Too, and on the other side, they said you should take responsibility because the victim gained courage because of your Me Too."
She continued, "I envied those who said they would pray for the deceased’s soul and those who said they would stand by the victim," adding, "Putting aside all the verbal abuse and ongoing slander or threats, I still lacked the time and mental capacity to respond even to my own ongoing litigation, and most of the messages personally arriving asking for help with injustice were beyond my ability."
Prosecutor Seo said, "I am not trying to say I am struggling or to blame anyone. Everyone has different experiences and perceptions," and added, "I respect each person's views except for extreme polarized hatred."
She then said, "I think I have spoken too much beyond my ability and station," and added, "Surviving like a miracle does not mean I am firmly seated on top of perpetrators, accomplices, and prejudices enjoying power, but rather that I miraculously held onto a stone root that happened to jump out somewhere on the cliff I jumped from, enduring evil and ridicule."
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