Park Hongkeun Says Referring to Park Wonsoon’s Victim as “Alleged Victim” Was Inappropriate

Confirmation Hearing for Planning and Budget Ministry Nominee Held at National Assembly on March 23

"I Have Not Used the Term at All Since the Controversy"

Hongkeun Park, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, clarified on March 23 that his use of the term "alleged victim" to refer to the victim of sexual harassment by the late former Seoul Mayor Park Wonsoon was "an inappropriate expression."

Hongkeun Park, nominee for Minister of Planning and Budget, is attending the confirmation hearing held at the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Planning Committee on March 23, 2026. Photo by Hyunmin Kim

During the confirmation hearing at the National Assembly's Finance and Economy Planning Committee, Park responded to the criticism from Assemblyman Yoo Sangbeom of the People Power Party by saying, "At the time, I used that term in accordance with the internal ethical guidelines of the Democratic Party of Korea. After controversy arose, I determined that it was not appropriate and have not used it since then."

In 2020, Park served as co-executive director of the funeral committee for the late Mayor Park and held a press conference calling for an end to secondary victimization of the victim. At that time, referring to the victim as an "alleged victim" sparked controversy.

Park explained, "As a matter of human decency, I was in charge of co-executing the funeral and felt a responsibility to bring the situation to a close quickly. In the context of urging an end to attacks against the victim, I used that particular expression."

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