Democratic Party Expels Lawmaker Park Wan-joo Over Sexual Misconduct Allegations... Successive Sexual Misconduct Scandals

Related Case Received, Expulsion Measures Taken
Additional Disciplinary Action to Be Requested in the National Assembly

Park Wan-joo, Chairman of the Policy Committee of the Democratic Party of Korea, is attending the Policy Coordination Meeting held at the National Assembly on the 10th and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to expel Assemblyman Park Wan-joo, who is under suspicion of sexual misconduct.

On the 12th, the Democratic Party held an emergency meeting at the National Assembly and passed a resolution to expel Assemblyman Park.

Shin Hyun-young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's emergency committee, told reporters after the meeting, "This is a party-level response to the occurrence of a sexual misconduct case within the party," adding, "To prevent secondary harm and protect the victim, detailed information will not be disclosed."

Regarding the incident's background, she explained, "The case was received and action was taken accordingly, which was then resolved by the emergency committee."

She continued, "We intend to request strong disciplinary measures at the National Assembly level regarding this matter," and expressed, "We apologize for the occurrence of sexual misconduct within our party."

She also stated, "Going forward, we will strive to prioritize the protection and safety of victims within our party," and explained, "The Democratic Party will firmly respond to any future sexual misconduct cases."

Further disciplinary actions are expected to be reviewed and decided upon after examination and discussion at the National Assembly Ethics Reporting Center.

The Democratic Party has recently been embroiled in consecutive sexual misconduct incidents, including allegations that Assemblyman Choi Kang-wook made sexually harassing remarks during a private online meeting on the 28th of last month. Regarding this, spokesperson Shin said, "An investigation by the Ethics Inspection Team is underway," adding, "Since the investigation has been completed and the case has been referred to the adjudication committee, follow-up measures will proceed."