On the 13th, at the Korean Women's Hotline in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Kim Jae-ryeon, the lead attorney of On-Sesang Law Firm, revealed the secret chat room invitation message sent by Mayor Park Won-soon to complainant A during the press conference on the "Power Sexual Harassment Case by the Seoul Mayor." / Photo by Moon Ho-nam munonam@
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] As a woman who accused the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment has come forward with her statement, there are growing calls to hold the Seoul Metropolitan Government accountable for not revealing the sexual harassment over the past four years.
On the 13th, Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University said in an interview with CBS Radio's "Sisa Jaki Jeong Gwan-yong" that "I really questioned whether the timing of the initial police announcement that 'there is no prosecutorial jurisdiction' was appropriate," adding, "If there were attempts by multiple people to conceal the case or to prevent it from becoming a public issue in an organized manner, shouldn't that be revealed now?"
Professor Lee stated, "We must consider that a victim currently exists," and added, "Since this is clearly a case where harm has occurred, subsequent repercussions seem inevitable."
Regarding the press conference held that day, she explained, "Today was right after the funeral rites ended. Therefore, the victim's side's position was conveyed," and continued, "It appears that substantial evidence has been restored through digital forensics. If there is such concrete evidence, it is practically impossible that the person is not a victim."
Professor Lee emphasized that the sexual harassment period claimed by the woman spans four years and that despite revealing the abuse internally, the issue was not resolved. She said, "The complainant raised the problem within the Seoul Metropolitan Government's administrative line, so it must be clarified why it was not properly handled."
She added, "Procedures to guarantee workers' rights have essentially all been established, but I believe responsibility should be held for the parts where those procedures were not activated," and said, "If the issue was raised but was concealed once, twice, or by multiple people, or if there was an organized attempt to prevent the case from becoming public, shouldn't those responsible be revealed now? That is what I think."
She continued, "Most educational institutions or public organizations have procedures to internally investigate and discipline sexual violence cases," and added, "This is a different matter from the police's judicial decision of 'no prosecutorial jurisdiction,' so I believe there must be aspects where the organization can be held accountable."
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