Joo Ho-young: "Seoul City Secretary's Office Continuously Aided and Covered Up Sexual Harassment... Received Reports"

Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, is attending the floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 14th and delivering opening remarks. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, urged the prosecution on the 14th to investigate, saying, "We have received insider reports that sexual harassment was continuously condoned and covered up at the level of the Seoul Mayor's Secretariat."

At a floor strategy meeting held at the National Assembly that morning, Floor Leader Joo claimed, "There was sexual harassment by the Seoul Mayor personally through abuse of power, and at the same time, serious human rights violations occurred as the Mayor's Secretariat and related departments ignored the victim's appeals."

He said, "Superiors who dismissed reports of sexual harassment by the victim or refused requests for transfer to other departments have completely violated the Workplace Harassment Prevention Act," adding, "If the reports are true, those who have served as the head of the Seoul Mayor's Secretariat over the past four years, gender advisors, and others cannot escape responsibility for neglecting their supervisory duties." He emphasized, "This must be clearly revealed during the investigation process."

Floor Leader Joo continued, "The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has already become a subject of investigation for leaking investigation secrets," and said, "Since the investigation related to the late Mayor Park Won-soon was stopped and concluded with no prosecution, they should no longer hold the case and promptly transfer it to the prosecution." He pointed out, "The prosecution should appoint a special prosecutor or establish a special investigation unit to clearly uncover whether the Seoul Mayor's Secretariat concealed or abetted the misconduct, as well as the police agency's leak of investigation secrets, and severely punish those responsible."

Regarding the selection process of the recommendation committee for the head of the High-ranking Officials' Crime Investigation Office (HOCI), Floor Leader Joo criticized, "A recommendation committee member boldly nominated by the ruling party resigned within just a few hours," calling it "a reckless and hasty push, like eating too quickly and getting indigestion."

He said, "We have repeatedly said that the HOCI's procedures and content are illegal and unconstitutional, but even if that were not the case, creating a new highest investigative agency of the state should not be done recklessly and hastily." He added, "I hope the ruling party takes this incident as a lesson to thoroughly review everything, deeply reflect, and change their attitude."

Floor Leader Joo raised his voice toward the ruling party, saying, "Attempts to change the parent law through lower parliamentary rules before the agency has even launched, and attempts to change the number of recommendation committee members before implementation are all tricks and undesirable," urging, "Stop immediately." He also stressed, "Even if the HOCI is launched, the veto power granted to opposition negotiation groups must be firmly guaranteed," and warned, "Attempts to appoint a preferred HOCI head and arbitrarily wield criminal justice authority must be stopped immediately."