"I will not stand by regarding Assemblymen Jang Kyungtae, Seo Youngkyo, and malicious commenters"
Assemblywoman Seo holds separate press conference: "Assemblyman Joo is distorting the issue with political intent"
Assemblyman Joo reveals Legislation and Judiciary Committee remarks, criticizing human rights awareness
Controversy grows over political use of human rights... Shifts to legal action
On December 5, Assemblyman Joo Jinwoo of the People Power Party announced that he would file criminal charges, including accusations of false accusation and defamation, against Assemblymen Jang Kyungtae and Seo Youngkyo of the Democratic Party of Korea, as well as others, in connection with the controversy over secondary victimization related to sexual harassment allegations.
On this day, Assemblyman Joo held a press conference at the National Assembly, stating, "The actions of Assemblyman Jang Kyungtae and the Democratic Party members of the Legislation and Judiciary Committee go beyond secondary victimization and constitute a clear violation of the law." He added, "I plan to file criminal charges against Assemblymen Jang Kyungtae and Seo Youngkyo, as well as malicious commenters."
Assemblyman Joo claimed, "There have been ongoing implicit references to the victim's identity, the spread of false information, and acts of defamation," and asserted, "I will not stand by while human rights are used for political purposes within the political sphere."
Previously, through his social media, Assemblyman Joo criticized the Democratic Party's awareness of human rights, revealing that "During the Legislation and Judiciary Committee meeting, someone said, 'Didn't you see that woman (the victim) put her hand on Assemblyman Jang Kyungtae's shoulder?'"
In response, on the same day, Assemblywoman Seo Youngkyo of the Democratic Party of Korea held a separate press conference at the National Assembly's communication center and strongly objected. Assemblywoman Seo pointed out, "Assemblyman Joo is repeatedly using the term 'secondary victimization' and is, in fact, using the victim as a shield to continue his political attacks." She also stated, "We will respond firmly through legal means to Assemblyman Joo's social media posts and press conference statements."
This issue is escalating into a direct confrontation among members of the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee, and is expected to intensify not only conflicts between the ruling and opposition parties but also tensions within the committee itself. In particular, Assemblyman Joo has made public the contents of the committee meeting through social media, strongly asserting the ruling party's perspective, while the Democratic Party has countered by claiming, "He is distorting the issue with political intent," turning the political dispute into a legal battle.
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