Ewha Womans University Alumni "Call for Kim Junhyuk's Resignation over Sexual Bribery Remarks"

"Defamation of Ewha Womans University Current Students and Alumni through False Statements"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Alumnae of Ewha Womans University held a protest rally on the afternoon of the 4th in front of the campus auditorium in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, demanding the resignation of Kim Jun-hyeok, the Democratic Party candidate for Suwon Jeong, Gyeonggi Province.

The Ewha Womans University graduates gathered at the rally raised their voices holding placards with phrases such as "We strongly urge the resignation of candidate Kim Jun-hyeok, who distorted history and truth and damaged the true values of Ewha," and "Candidate Kim Jun-hyeok should apologize by resigning."

Lee Myung-kyung, president of the alumni association, criticized Kim’s apology posted on social media, saying, "The party recommended an apology out of concern that public opinion would worsen and negatively affect the election, so he posted a statement," adding, "It cannot be seen as a sincere apology."

The student council stated regarding Kim’s remarks, "This is a clear defamation that insulted and hurt the members of Ewha. We demand that no inappropriate content about Ewha Womans University be used to escalate political strife in the future." The alumni association is also reported to have started a signature campaign both at the rally site and online, urging Kim’s resignation.

On the 2nd, the university issued a statement demanding Kim’s resignation and announced it would take legal action against him.

The People Power Party also filed a complaint with the Supreme Prosecutors' Office against Kim and Cho Sang-ho, vice chairman of the Democratic Party’s Legal Committee, who defended Kim. According to the People Power Party’s Central Election Countermeasures Committee Clean Election Headquarters, Kim Jung-jae, a lawmaker from Ewha Womans University affiliated with the People Power Party, filed the complaint against Kim and Cho at the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

The People Power Party stated, "When the Ewha Womans University alumni association and various women’s organizations opposed him, candidate Kim rebutted by citing a thesis claiming that 'Kim Hwal-ran led sexual entertainment,'" but "the thesis does not contain expressions such as 'sexual bribery' being natural or that 'sexual entertainment was led' by her."

They emphasized, "Despite lacking any historical records or evidence, candidate Kim made false statements that Ewha Womans University students provided sexual bribery to U.S. military personnel, damaging the honor of current students and alumni of Ewha."

Meanwhile, in August 2022, Kim stated on the YouTube channel 'Kim Yong-min TV,' "Kim Hwal-ran (the first president of Ewha Womans University) played a major role in sending comfort women to the front lines," and "During the U.S. military government period, she made Ewha students provide sexual bribery to U.S. military officers."