[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Jeong Won-seok, Emergency Response Committee member of the United Future Party, has sparked controversy by labeling the sexual harassment allegations against the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon as a "sex scandal." Critics argue that it is inappropriate to refer to an incident with clear perpetrators and victims in this manner.
At the Emergency Response Committee meeting held at the National Assembly on the 16th, Jeong stated, "The time for mourning has passed, and now the time for judgment has come. It is time for us to reveal the truth," adding, "Park Won-soon's sexual harassment, the Seoul City sex scandal cover-up allegations."
Jeong further said, "Regarding the sex scandal, I want to define it as a sexual crime," and added, "Although there is no testimony that the victim woman had a relationship, various sexual scandals are still occurring within Seoul City."
Jeong continued, "Last year, people were talking about fairness but were betrayed by Cho Kuk, and this year, by emphasizing gender sensitivity, the Democratic Party lost mayors in Seoul and Busan due to the 'Together Me Too' movement," and stated, "The public is feeling betrayed and demanding a thorough investigation, but the Seoul City cover-up and prior leak suspicions are still ongoing."
Jeong said, "The low and cowardly behavior of not calling the victim a victim shows how hypocritical and deceptive the ruling party's gender sensitivity toward women in South Korea really is," and added, "There is no need to say more; a national audit for fact-finding is necessary, and this is not a matter of political strife but a matter of common sense that we must solve together."
The Justice Party immediately criticized Jeong. Kim Jong-cheol, Senior Spokesperson for the Justice Party, said in a statement that day, "There is no such phrase anywhere in the victim's complaint, and the victim's main point is that she has suffered sexual harassment and sexual assault for years, so suddenly calling it a sex scandal is a lowly remark," and criticized, "It is nothing but an attempt to escalate this issue into political strife without any concern for the victim's anxiety."
Senior Spokesperson Kim added, "In fact, in this case, the United Future Party speaks as if they should blame Mayor Park and punish the widespread sexual crimes in our society, but so far, the party has been completely distant from that," and said, "No wonder they have been mocked as the 'Sex Nuri Party.' The United Future Party, pretending to care for the victim but actually using the case to escalate political strife, should reflect on their own baseness."
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