Seoul | The leader of a left-wing South Korean political party, which defends gender equality, was dismissed from his post on Monday for sexually harassing a member of his political party.
Kim Jong-Cheol, chairman of the Justice Party, the third political representation in South Korea’s National Assembly, was fired after admitting to harassing Jang Hye-yeong, the party said in a statement.
At 33, Ms. Jang, who was elected last year to the National Assembly, was one of the youngest parliamentarians in the hemicycle.
Known for her activism in favor of human rights, she initiated an anti-discrimination bill aimed at prohibiting any favoritism based on sex, race, age, sexual orientation, disability or religion. This text has not yet been put to a vote.
The incident followed a dinner held in December and Ms. Jang promptly reported it to her party, which opened an investigation three days later.
“This is without a doubt blatant sexual harassment,” deputy party leader Bae Bok-ju told reporters.
“Mr. Kim also admitted all allegations, ”she said.
South Korean society remains very patriarchal, and many victims of harassment remain silent so as not to be ostracized.
In recent years, the global movement against violence against women, #MeToo, has brought down many male figures in the country, in multiple fields.
In a press release, the deputy said she had felt “an immense shock and a lot of suffering” caused by “someone in whom I had deep confidence”, while recalling having campaigned alongside him “against sexual crimes”.
“I decided to make this public and hold him accountable because I thought it would restore my dignity and allow me to return to a normal life,” she said on social media.
Mr. Kim admitted to having had “physical contact not consented to by the victim and having sexually harassed her”.
“It is an act which cannot be excused and which hurts him a lot,” he said in a statement, presenting his “most sincere apologies”.
The case comes six months after Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon committed suicide after being accused of sexual harassment.