Acting District Mayor Accused of 'Secretary Sexual Harassment' Sent to Prosecution... Victim Hopes "It Becomes a Force to Change Wrong Culture"

"I will strive to have the remaining charges acknowledged"
"Diagnosed with severe depression and more"

Victim A, who filed a sexual harassment complaint against Acting Mayor Kang Pil-young of Jongno District Office, said, "I hope this becomes a force that can change the wrong culture. I will continue to fight."

Earlier, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Women and Juvenile Crime Investigation Unit transferred Acting Mayor Kang to the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on the charge of forcible molestation causing injury on the 23rd. The police judged that some of the charges were recognized, while the rest were deemed insufficient in evidence. Initially, the case was filed as sexual harassment, but the police changed the charge to forcible molestation causing injury, recognizing the victim was harmed.

In an interview with this paper on the 24th, A said, "I will try to request a reinvestigation so that the remaining charges can be recognized at the prosecution stage."

Since submitting the complaint against Acting Mayor Kang to the police on December 6 last year, A has claimed to have suffered a ‘social murder.’ According to A’s side, former Jongno District Mayor Kim Young-jong resigned to run for the National Assembly, and Kang, who was then the deputy mayor, became acting mayor, resulting in a failure to properly separate the ‘perpetrator and victim.’ A’s mother said, "We sent official letters to the Seoul City and District Office requesting separation measures, but proper action was not taken," adding, "We have been fighting like this for about 10 months."

Currently, A has been diagnosed with severe depression, anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and social phobia, and has experienced difficulty breathing and seizures even in the district office, requiring hospital visits. A said, "These days, I can’t distinguish what is reality and what is a dream," adding, "I think the police investigator saw this and considered it as ‘forcible molestation causing injury.’"

A continued, "I have seen people who can influence personnel evaluations openly engage in sexual harassment or sexual assault through work evaluations," and said, "Many people cannot speak up because they want to do well at work. Looking at the late Sergeant Lee Ye-ram case or the recent POSCO case, you can see that this is the reality."

Meanwhile, Acting Mayor Kang expressed regret over the news of the prosecution transfer, saying, "I deeply regret it and will fully cooperate with the remaining investigation to prove my innocence." Kang is denying all allegations and has filed a counter-complaint against A for attempted extortion at Jongno Police Station.