Ryu Ho-jeong: "Justice Party's Safety Was an Illusion... We Are Focused on Setting Things Right"

Democratic Party of Korea's Zero Tolerance Principle Comment: "I Have Much to Say but Will Not Speak"

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] On the 26th, Ryu Ho-jeong, a Justice Party lawmaker, said regarding the sexual harassment incident within the party, "As a female politician and a female party member, I felt that our circle was relatively safe while working within the party, but it seems that was all a misconception."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the same day, Ryu appeared on MBC Radio's Kim Jong-bae's Focus and spoke about the sexual harassment incident involving former Justice Party leader Kim Jong-chul, saying, "The criticism that 'you all were no different' without any excuse is very valid, and I think we must accept whatever criticism comes."

The day before, the Justice Party confirmed that former leader Kim had sexually harassed Justice Party lawmaker Jang Hye-young and announced the suspension of Kim's position.

Regarding future responses, Ryu said, "We must resolve this according to principles," adding, "I think it is urgent to properly handle the incident that occurred first." She indicated an approach to the issue from a structural perspective. She said, "There is talk about a full investigation," and added, "We need to investigate whether other incidents have occurred within the party and conduct a comprehensive review of the party's overall gender equality culture."

Ryu said, "We thought we had gender equality rules, manuals, and were diligently conducting education, but since what we thought was the answer has failed, I believe we need to find a more fundamental solution."

She refrained from commenting on the response to the April by-elections and re-elections this year. Ryu said, "With what face can I predict election outcomes?" and added, "If there are mistakes, I will focus on sincerely reflecting, apologizing, and correcting the situation first."

Meanwhile, regarding the Democratic Party of Korea's statement mentioning a zero-tolerance principle related to this incident, she said, "I have a lot to say, but I will absolutely not," and added, "They advised us to investigate with a zero-tolerance principle and prevent further harm, and I clearly promise to do exactly that."