Justice Party, Representative Kim Jong-cheol Suspended Over Sexual Harassment Allegations..."No Room for Dispute"

Vice President Baebokju to Announce Statement on 'CEO Kim Jongcheol Sexual Harassment Incident' on the 25th

Kim Jong-cheol, Leader of the Justice Party / Photo by Yoon Dong-joo, doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kum Boryeong] Kim Jong-cheol, leader of the Justice Party, has been suspended from his position due to an incident of sexual harassment involving party lawmaker Jang Hye-young.

Bae Bok-joo, vice representative in charge of the Gender and Human Rights Headquarters at the Justice Party, issued a statement on the morning of the 25th at the National Assembly titled "Statement Regarding the Sexual Harassment Incident Involving Leader Kim Jong-cheol."

Vice Representative Bae said, "I am deeply ashamed and distressed to inform party members and the public of this news. The sexual harassment incident involving Justice Party leader Kim Jong-cheol occurred on the 15th. The victim is party lawmaker Jang Hye-young. As head of the party’s Gender and Human Rights Headquarters, I conducted a confidential investigation into the incident for a week starting from the 18th, upon the victim’s request, and reported it for the first time at today’s leadership meeting," she stated.

According to Vice Representative Bae, on the evening of the 15th, Leader Kim had dinner with lawmaker Jang in Yeouido for a party-related meeting. After the meeting, the sexual harassment incident occurred, and lawmaker Jang informed Vice Representative Bae of the incident on the 18th. The Justice Party conducted an investigation through multiple interviews with both the victim and the perpetrator.

Vice Representative Bae explained, "This is an indisputable and clear case of sexual harassment. The perpetrator, Leader Kim, has admitted to all the facts. Therefore, I can say that no further investigation to confirm the facts is necessary."

At the Justice Party leadership meeting held that day, it was decided to refer the case to the Central Party Ethics Committee for disciplinary action, and Leader Kim was suspended from his position in accordance with party regulations. Vice Representative Bae emphasized, "Article 21 of Party Regulation No. 7, which outlines special disciplinary procedures for elected party officials, states that the leadership meeting has the authority to temporarily suspend a party official from their position if there is substantial reason to recognize disciplinary grounds and if the seriousness of the disciplinary matter necessitates urgent suspension until the disciplinary resolution."

Regarding the incident, lawmaker Jang said, "Politics is about communicating values with citizens based on one’s true experiences. I am truly afraid of the unjust secondary harm that may come to me by disclosing the victimization. However, what I fear more is losing myself. If I separate myself as the victim from myself as a lawmaker and live forever hiding the victimization to protect the victim, I will, conversely, be trapped in this incident forever. Therefore, I want to speak about the pain I have endured and truly be free from this issue. I want to return to my daily life in politics."

She continued, "Even at this moment, countless victims are still fighting desperately to restore their dignity. I sincerely express solidarity with all victims. We will surely return to our daily lives together. Please join us in protecting our own dignity and the dignity of our fellow citizens whose dignity has been violated," she added.