South Korean President Lee Jae-myung drew backlash from women’s advocacy groups after publishing a social media post remembering former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who died in July 2020 following a sexual harassment complaint, khan.co.kr reported.
Presidential Social Media Post Triggers Advocacy Group Condemnation
The controversy began on February 11, when President Lee published a message on X, formerly Twitter, emphasizing the importance of digital communication. In the post, Lee recalled the late mayor as an innovative figure who consistently prioritized and enjoyed interacting with citizens. “I think of the late Mayor Park Won-soon,” Lee wrote. “He was an outstanding idea man who always emphasized and enjoyed communication with citizens.”
Major advocacy organizations immediately condemned the remarks, arguing that the public praise of a disgraced official minimizes the ongoing trauma experienced by victims of workplace misconduct. The Korean Women’s Hotline, Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, and Korea Women’s Associations United issued separate statements on February 12 denouncing the president’s comments. “The president’s public remarks do not stay in the realm of personal memories,” the groups stated. “Elevating Park is an act of erasing sexual violence, accountability, and the victim’s voice.”
Victim Advocates Cite Ongoing Emotional Toll
Critics emphasized that the public endorsement of the late mayor disregards the severe reality survivors face. The Korea Women’s Political Network released a statement on the same day noting that the victim continues to endure psychological and emotional distress while trying to rebuild a normal daily routine. “For the president to publicly summon the perpetrator through social media as a ‘model of communication’ is an irresponsible remark that fails to consider the victim’s reality at all,” the network stated.
The controversy surrounding the president’s message quickly devolved into partisan bickering, effectively sidelining deeper introspection and policy discussions regarding sexual misconduct in South Korea’s political sphere. The Korean Women’s Hotline criticized the discourse for dragging the survivor back into the spotlight as an unwilling subject of political debate. “While the victim is still fighting against secondary victimization, the president’s post has revived irresponsible arguments,” the organization noted, adding that opposing factions are utilizing the incident either to attack the administration or to relitigate the original case.
Legal Precedents and Structural Political Failures
Park was found dead in July 2020, two days after a subordinate Seoul city official filed a police complaint accusing him of forcible molestation. The National Human Rights Commission of Korea determined the following year that Park’s behavior constituted sexual harassment. Park’s surviving family members subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the human rights ruling, but both the Seoul Administrative Court and the appellate court dismissed the claims, affirming that Park engaged in conduct that legally amounted to sexual harassment.
Ahn Hee-jung, former South Governor; Oh Keadon, former Busan Mayor; and Park all faced high-profile workplace sexual misconduct accusations between 2018 and 2020. "With neither the ruling nor the opposition parties actively pursuing measures against gender violence such as the introduction of a non-consent rape law, the issue of sexual violence should not be treated merely as a tool for partisan warfare," Shin said.
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