A documentary that glorifies the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is set to be released in July, sparking criticism of 'secondary victimization' against the victim. In response, attorney Kim Jae-ryeon, representing the victim, appealed to view the issue as a human rights matter rather than through a partisan lens, stating, "We must tear down the partisan veil in sexual violence cases."
On the 10th, through her social media (SNS), Attorney Kim emphasized, "Through a series of Me Too cases, I have confirmed that sexual violence is a matter of violence and human rights, an issue of 'human dignity' that cannot be differently evaluated based on political parties or factions, yet it has been thoroughly exploited according to partisan logic."
She said, "When a sitting prosecutor came forward with a Me Too allegation in 2018, I thought a crack had formed in the traditional perspective on sexual violence cases, especially regarding victims, as people showed enthusiastic support and social resonance. However, I realized through subsequent Me Too cases that this was an illusion. The day after the sitting prosecutor’s Me Too revelation, ruling party lawmakers immediately held white flowers to support the victim, but I do not recall ruling party lawmakers holding white flowers when victim Kim Ji-eun made a Me Too allegation against the then-powerful Governor Ahn Hee-jung of Chungnam Province."
Attorney Kim pointed out, "What about the victim in the Park Won-soon case? During the leak of the accusation, a sitting ruling party lawmaker was mentioned, and despite the perpetrator fleeing irresponsibly through death after learning of the accusation, the meaning of the death was not properly interpreted, and a banner saying ‘We will remember your will’ was displayed. At that time, ruling party lawmakers went through a bizarre opinion-gathering process in group chats, stating, ‘Since nothing has been confirmed yet, it is appropriate to refer to the person as the complainant.’"
She added, "It is probably no different now. We must tear down the partisan veil in sexual violence cases. Politicians who have distorted the place where sexual violence victims should stand are the main perpetrators of countless secondary victimizations against the victims."
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