[Summary] "What Exactly Are You Apologizing For?" Victim's Outcry Against Park Won-soon's Criticism of Lee Nak-yeon

"'Am I included as a 'victimized woman'?"
Demanding answers on incident investigation and plans to prevent recurrence

Lee Nak-yeon, Leader of the Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] As the Democratic Party of Korea plans to decide through a party-wide vote whether to amend the party constitution to nominate candidates for next year's Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections, the victim of the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon's sexual harassment allegations has spoken out. A, a former secretary to Mayor Park, criticized Lee Nak-yeon, the leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, on the 30th, asking, "What exactly are you apologizing for?"

The Joint Action for the Seoul Mayor Power Sexual Violence Case, consisting of the Korea Sexual Violence Counseling Center, Korea Women's Hotline, and Korea Women's Association United, which supports A, issued a press release that day stating, "The victim, victim support organizations, and joint legal counsel have never received any apology from the Democratic Party of Korea."

They continued, "Regarding the party-wide vote on amending the party constitution and regulations, you said, 'We sincerely apologize to the victimized women.' Am I correctly included among the 'victimized women'?" and asked, "What exactly are you apologizing for? Is it for failing to crack down on sexual harassment of power by politicians affiliated with the party? Or is it for abandoning me amid secondary harm from supporters?"

They also urged for a response regarding plans for future investigation and prevention measures, asking, "What changes can I expect through this apology?" and "What expectations does our society have for a public party?"

Members of the Korean Women’s Political Network held a press conference on the 28th in front of Seoul City Hall to submit the "Seoul City Public Inquiry" regarding the sexual violence case of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. / Photo by Yonhap News

Earlier, Lee Nak-yeon, leader of the Democratic Party, announced at a parliamentary meeting held on the 29th that the decision on whether to amend the party constitution for nominating candidates in next year's by-elections would be made through a vote by all party members.

Lee explained, "I thought it was a responsible duty to be judged by the citizens through candidate nomination," adding, "After listening to opinions inside and outside the party for a long time, I concluded that not nominating a candidate is not the only responsible choice; rather, being judged through nomination is the responsible duty."

The party member vote will be held online over two days, from the 30th to the 31st. If the amendment to allow candidate nomination is confirmed, the Democratic Party plans to begin the process of amending the party constitution next week by adding a proviso clause.

According to Article 96, Paragraph 2 of the current Democratic Party constitution, if an elected official affiliated with the party loses their position due to a 'serious wrongdoing' such as fraud or corruption, and a by-election is held, the party is stipulated not to nominate a candidate for that election.

Previously, former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don admitted to sexually harassing a female public official and abruptly resigned on April 23. The late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead in the mountains along the Seoul Bugaksan Fortress Wall Trail on July 10, the day after he was accused of sexually harassing his secretary. If the definition of 'serious wrongdoing' in the party constitution is extended to include sexual misconduct, the Democratic Party would be required not to nominate candidates according to the party constitution.

Kim Jong-in, Emergency Response Committee Chairman of the People Power Party / Photo by Yonhap News

The ruling Democratic Party's leadership decision has been strongly criticized by the People Power Party.

Hwang Gyu-hwan, deputy spokesperson for the People Power Party, said in a statement on the 29th, "They have abandoned even the minimum decency toward the people and, right after the bulletproof audit ended, announced they would decide on candidate nomination for the by-election through a party-wide vote," and criticized, "Is this why the requests to summon witnesses related to former Mayors Park Won-soon and Oh Keo-don during the National Assembly's Women and Family Committee were so thoroughly ignored?"

He added, "If they truly apologize to the people, they should not nominate candidates," warning, "If they forcibly proceed with nominations until the end, the people will judge them."

Kim Jong-in, emergency committee chairman of the People Power Party, criticized at a press conference that day, "They said they would not nominate candidates if there were reasons for self-reproach in the party constitution and regulations," and "They broke that promise."