Minju: "Lee Jun-seok Should Be Disciplined for Sexual Bribery Allegations"… People Power Party: "Is Deflection All You Can Do?"

Kwon Seong-dong on 'Lee Jun-seok Sexual Bribery Allegation': "A Private Matter"
Park Ji-hyun: "Not Private, but Criminal... Below Standard"
Go Min-jung Criticizes 'Comments on Homosexuality and Comfort Women Victims'
Heo Eun-ah: "'Ghosting Tactics' and 'Political Diversion' Foster Public Distrust in Politics"

On the afternoon of May 10 last year, Shin Hyun-young, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and others held a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Office in Yeouido, Seoul, to announce the proposal of the "Rapid Support Act for Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccination (Partial Amendment to the Infectious Disease Prevention Act)." [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jung-wan] The Democratic Party of Korea and the People Power Party continue to exchange attacks over the 'sexual misconduct allegations' that have arisen within each party.

Shin Hyun-young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party's election committee, criticized on the afternoon of the 15th through a written briefing, saying, "Is the People Power Party trying to gloss over the sexual bribery allegations against Representative Lee Jun-seok?" and added, "The Democratic Party is currently undergoing 'surgery,' but the People Power Party is still hiding it."

Earlier, on the 14th, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, responded in an interview with YTN Radio's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' to a question about the disciplinary process regarding the sexual bribery allegations against Representative Lee by saying, "It is a matter of personal privacy, so I have no knowledge of it, and it is inappropriate to investigate personal matters."

In response, Park Ji-hyun, co-chair of the Democratic Party's emergency committee, targeted Floor Leader Kwon at the opening ceremony of candidate Lee Kwang-jae's Gangwon Province election office on the same afternoon, stating, "Sexual bribery is not a private matter but a criminal act," and called it "below standard."

Spokesperson Shin also continued the offensive, saying, "People Power Party Floor Leader Kwon Seong-dong has defended the crime with the sophistry that the sexual bribery allegations against Representative Lee Jun-seok are 'personal privacy,'" and added, "I am aghast at the People Power Party's double standards, being lenient toward their own sexual misconduct allegations."

She further stated, "It is hard to see Floor Leader Kwon's remarks as a personal opinion," and criticized, "Although the People Power Party has promptly initiated disciplinary procedures against Representative Lee Jun-seok, the party's ethics committee says it will begin after the local elections. Does Floor Leader Kwon's defense reflect the party's intention to delay and cover up the allegations?"

She concluded, "The People Power Party should first discipline Representative Lee Jun-seok and start the same 'surgery' as the Democratic Party. At the very least, they must do that to have the right to criticize the Democratic Party."

Heo Eun-ah, a member of the People Power Party, is giving a proposal explanation at the full meeting of the Steering Committee held at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, on the morning of September 24, 2020. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, the People Power Party has continued to criticize the Democratic Party's successive sexual scandal allegations, including expelled lawmaker Park Wan-joo, calling it a 'diversion tactic.'

Heo Eun-ah, chief spokesperson for the People Power Party, criticized on the 13th, calling it "the height of shamelessness," and continued the criticism today (15th), asking, "Is their only skill diversion?"

Earlier, on the day Park Wan-joo, who faced sexual misconduct allegations, was expelled from the Democratic Party, Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Min-jung criticized Kim Seong-hoe, presidential office secretary for religion and multicultural affairs, for homophobic remarks and derogatory comments about comfort women, calling them "remarks that make one question his mental state."

In today's statement, Spokesperson Heo said, "The Democratic Party, stained by sexual crimes, should first undergo a thorough reflection and apology, but instead, they are trying a 'ghost fishing operation' by dragging in the presidential office secretary's sexual misconduct issue," and pointed out, "The biggest problem with the Democratic Party's current 'ghost fishing operation' and 'political diversion' is that it fosters 'political distrust' among the public."

She added, "Since the launch of the Moon Jae-in administration, the Democratic Party shocked the public with a series of sexual violence cases involving metropolitan governors such as former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don, and the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, which are rarely seen in history," and said, "These incidents reveal the ugly double standards of morality among Democratic Party figures, so-called 'activists.'"