Daily US Times: South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in says he’s a feminist, but now three of his allies have been accused of sex crimes.
According to two non-profit organizations working with the woman who accused Seoul’s mayor of sexual harassment says the city government told her he wasn’t “that kind of person” when she made her complaint.
The 64-year-old mayor Park Won-soon died in an apparent suicide last week shortly after the sexual harassment claims were filed with police, meaning that the victim’s claims won’t be criminally investigated.
But the accusations of Park’s former secretary have sparked a major criticism among women’s rights groups in the country, and raised questions over how seriously sexual harassment is really taken by President Moon Jae-in, who campaigned on the promise of becoming a “feminist president.”

Park – who many considered as next presidential candidate – is now the third top leader associated with Moon’s Democratic Party to be accused of sexual harassment or assault in recent years. As the Seoul City Government launches an internal investigation into Park’s alleged misconduct. But women rights groups called for both the party and the government to do more to support victims of sex crimes.
Four years of alleged harassment
Park described himself as a feminist like Moon. As Seoul’s mayor — a role that made him the second-most powerful official in South Korea — he was a vocal supporter of the #MeToo movement and implemented welfare policies aimed at helping women. He was a dedicated human rights lawyer before his mayoral role. In the 1990s Park represented the victim in one of South Korea’s first successful sexual harassment convictions. He was part of the team of lawyers in 1980s who represented one of the first women to bring charges of sexual assault against authorities.
When allegations against a person like this came last week, it was a huge shock for many in Seoul and across the country.
On Monday, the alleged victim’s lawyer, Kim Jae-ryon, claimed in a press conference that Park had sent pictures of himself in his underwear to his secretary, as well as obscene, late-night messages over the encrypted app Telegram.
Kim claimed, on one occasion, when he saw a bruise on her knee, he pretended to blow air on it to ease the pain but allegedly touched her knee with his lips.

The lawyer said the four years of alleged harassment began when the alleged victim was hired as Park’s secretary and continued after she had moved to another department.
Mr Kim has read a letter written by the accuser, where the alleged victim said she “should have screamed the first time it happened” and she regrets not coming forward earlier.
Mr Park did not make any comment on the allegations before his death.
Attempts to speak out
Women’s rights groups said, Park’s former secretary did try to speak up earlier, but was discouraged.
The alleged victim claims she asked officials at the Seoul City Government for help, but her complaints were brushed off as the mayor making simple mistakes. According to conversations between the woman and non-profit Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, the former secretary was also told that her duty as secretary was to help the mayor emotionally, so she felt as if she couldn’t speak out.
women’s rights groups allege that even after the woman told police, due process wasn’t followed.
The lawyer said, the alleged victim filed her criminal complaint of sex crimes on July 8 and finished giving her statement in the early hours of July 9.
Park was reported missing on the evening of July 9 and was later found dead.
A suspect is informed of accusations against them once they are questioned by police. This happens under standard police procedure. But the head of Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, Lee Mi-kyoung, who is also representing the alleged victim, claims Park was tipped off about the complaint and was able to get rid of evidence before an investigation could begin, although she did not specify who tipped him off.
She said: “Who could report a sexual crime and trust the government’s system in this situation?”
Blue House spokesman Kang Min-seok said in a statement on Monday that claims that the Blue House had tipped off Park about the legal complaint were false and urged the public to stop targeting the alleged victim online.
You may read: Seoul mayor Park Won-soon found dead after going missing