Park Wan-joo "No Means No" Victim Side Claims "Secondary Harm Due to Position and Influence" (Summary)

Park Wan-joo Completely Denies Allegations
Victim's Side "Used Position and Influence to Harass Victim"

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] Park Wan-joo (56), a lawmaker expelled from the Democratic Party of Korea over allegations of sexual misconduct, said on the 6th, "No matter what pain and sacrifice there may be, what is wrong is wrong."

In a post on his Facebook on the same day, Park denied the allegations outright, stating, "Although it will take a long time and the process may be very painful, I will definitely reveal the truth from lies and falsehoods through objective evidence and circumstantial evidence, not claims."

Park emphasized, "I would like to reiterate that the 'forcible molestation by power in the course of duty' reported to investigative agencies, 'defamation by false facts,' the disciplinary charges submitted to the National Assembly Ethics Special Committee including 'forcible molestation and sexual harassment,' and 'the dismissal and neglect of sick leave request in January' are not true at all."

He explained the reason for his silence so far, saying, "I wanted to appeal my unbearable grievance and reveal the truth immediately with numerous pieces of evidence, but considering the timing before the local elections, I judged that the party should not suffer further adverse effects due to the sexual misconduct truth dispute."

Park wrote, "In the current situation where the fact-finding investigation has not been clearly conducted and the victim's claims have already been taken as facts, denial or any minimal rebuttal has led to secondary victimization controversies," adding, "Now, what is not true is not true, and the truth will be revealed where it can be clarified." He further stated, "The only choice left for me is to actively counter and prove my case through investigative agencies and the trial process," and "I will respond with a principle of zero tolerance toward any criminal facts revealed during the process of uncovering the truth."

On the other hand, the victim's legal representative said in a statement, "Since the incident occurred, the victim has been going through a painful time," and "The victim is enduring the pain alone from the secondary victimization carried out by the perpetrator after the sexual violence incident." He continued, "However, the perpetrator continues to harass the victim by using his position and influence," and "The victim is appealing to the law and continuing a difficult fight. Please wait for the results of the investigation and trial. We will reveal the truth with evidence."

The Democratic Party passed a resolution to expel Park at a party meeting on the 16th of last month and referred the case to the National Assembly Ethics Committee.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.