"Judgment That It Would Not Help the Election"
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Professor Lee Soo-jung of Kyonggi University’s Department of Criminal Psychology, who serves as an advisor to the Women’s Headquarters of the People Power Party’s Election Countermeasures Headquarters, resigned from her advisory position on the 18th after her expression of apology to Kim Ji-eun, the victim in the sexual assault case involving former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, sparked controversy online.
Professor Lee stated in a phone interview with Asia Economy on the same day, "I resigned from the advisory position today."
She explained, "I posted an apology to Kim Ji-eun last night, but since it caused trouble on the internet and was judged not to be helpful for the election, I decided to resign. I conveyed my intention to resign at 9 a.m., and the party likely accepted my resignation through a meeting afterward."
She added, "I felt very sorry for Kim Ji-eun, and since such remarks continued, I made a conscientious choice. I am prepared to accept any consequences arising from this matter."
The previous day, Kim Ji-eun issued a statement through the sexual violence victim support organization 'Korean Sexual Violence Counseling Center,' demanding "a sincere apology from Kim Geon-hee," and stated, "The thoughtless words you uttered have ultimately become seeds of secondary harm, and I am still suffering from malicious comments."
In response, Professor Lee posted on Facebook, "I sincerely express my regret for the mental distress caused to Kim Ji-eun, the victim in the Ahn Hee-jung case, by the recent Seoul’s Voice recording controversy," and added, "Although the candidate’s wife herself has long suffered from the misogynistic character assassination caused by the 'Julie theory,' I humbly apologize for not providing careful consideration to the pain of Kim Ji-eun, the sexual violence victim."
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