Yoon Jae-soon, Chief Secretary to the General Affairs, Has Two Past Sexual Misconduct Cases During Prosecutor Tenure
"Mischievous Boys' Freedom"...Subway 'Sexual Harassment Poem' Controversy
Opposition: "President Cannot Be Unaware of Past...Unacceptable Appointment"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Controversies surrounding personnel appointments in the Yoon Seok-yeol administration continue unabated. It has been confirmed that Yoon Jae-soon, the Chief Secretary for General Affairs at the Presidential Office, was disciplined twice in the past for sexual misconduct, but the Presidential Office maintains that it is a 'minor issue' and has no plans to replace him. Criticism has arisen that it is inappropriate to have a person with a history of sexual misconduct as a key aide assisting the president.
According to a report by Hankook Ilbo on the 13th, Secretary Yoon received personnel disciplinary action in October 1996 while working as a probationary prosecutor at the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office for inappropriate physical contact with a female employee. Additionally, in July 2012, while serving as an officer in the Policy Planning Division of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office, he was warned by the Inspection Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office for sexually harassing a female employee at a company dinner.
Secretary Yoon is known as a close aide who has maintained a relationship with President Yoon for over 20 years. They first met when President Yoon was working as a prosecutor at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office Seongnam Branch in 1997, and they worked together for a long time at the Central Investigation Department of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office and the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office. When President Yoon served as Prosecutor General, Secretary Yoon was the Director of the Operations Support Division at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.
Controversy also arose over numerous inappropriate expressions included in a poetry collection published by Secretary Yoon. In the poem "On the Electric Train" from the poetry collection "If It Is the Road to Take," published in November 2002, there are lines such as "pushing aside the full breasts of a girl and lightly touching her buttocks," "yet the girl who cannot speak quietly twists her body and blushes," and "a place where mischievous boys' freedom is guaranteed."
Critics argued that these expressions condone sexual harassment on public transportation and portray women as passive and weak beings who cannot refuse, revealing a distorted perception of sexuality. In another poem titled "My Eyes Are Virgins" from the collection "I Do Not Know the Sky," virgins are described as "unfaded bright red eyes" and "a sun whose redness has not faded," which was also criticized for objectifying women.
This is not the first time aides appointed by President Yoon have faced issues related to their past conduct. Former Presidential Office Secretary for Religion and Multicultural Affairs Kim Seong-hoe resigned voluntarily on the 13th after public criticism arose over his hateful remarks against minorities, Japanese military comfort women victims, and derogatory comments about women. Former Chief Prosecutor Lee Si-won, appointed as Secretary for Public Service Discipline at the Presidential Office, was the prosecutor in charge of the 2013 Seoul City public servant espionage fabrication case and was disciplined for failing to properly verify evidence fabrication by the National Intelligence Service at that time.
Regarding Secretary Yoon, the Presidential Office stated that his dismissal is not warranted. The Presidential Office announced, "Some details and circumstances differ from the facts. The agency head's warning is a consideration for the matter and is a minor measure, not a formal disciplinary procedure." Although it is true that he caused controversy twice due to sexual misconduct, it is seen as not serious enough to warrant replacement.
The Democratic Party of Korea protested, claiming that President Yoon appointed Secretary Yoon despite knowing about his sexual misconduct. On the 14th, Democratic Party spokesperson Hong Seo-yoon said in a written briefing, "The Presidential Office defends the warning as not a formal disciplinary action. Ultimately, it means they appointed him knowing about the sexual harassment and assault," and criticized, "Do not mock the public by pushing through personnel with sexual misconduct."
Park Ji-hyun, co-chair of the Joint Countermeasures Committee, also posted on Facebook on the 15th, saying, "The Chief Secretary for General Affairs is responsible for overseeing personnel in the Secretariat, including sexual violence prevention education," and added, "Does President Yoon share the same perception as Secretary Yoon? This is a personnel matter that absolutely cannot be tolerated or accepted for the sake of the people."
Even within the People Power Party, there were calls for Secretary Yoon to apologize. On the 16th, Party Leader Lee Jun-seok said at the Central Election Committee meeting for the local elections held at the National Assembly, "Many expressions Secretary Yoon used as a poet differ significantly from the general public's current standards after more than 20 years. He should sincerely apologize to the public and devote himself to his duties."
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