SEOUL (SOUTH KOREA)
Bloomberg News
March 5, 2018
By Kanga Kong
– Secretary accuses Democratic Party runner-up of recent attacks
– Women’s rights movement gaining steam in South Korean society
A promising politician who had ambitions of becoming South Korea’s next president resigned Tuesday after his secretary accused him of raping her.
Ahn Hee-jung, 52, the governor of South Chungcheong province who last year was runner-up against Moon Jae-in to become the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, has become the latest high-profile figure to fall in the #MeToo movement quickly spreading across the male-dominated society.
His departure came a day after the secretary, Kim Ji-eun, made the accusation on a TV news show. She told local cable channel JTBC late Monday that Ahn raped her four times over the past eight months. While Ahn hasn’t explicitly confirmed or denied the allegations, the police are investigating.
“The governor called me in late at night recently and looked uneasy when he brought up the #MeToo movement issue. He said he learned from the movement that what he did hurt me and apologized,” Kim told the program. “I thought he wouldn’t do it that night, but he did it again. It was Feb. 25.”
While Ahn’s office initially said he had consensual sexual relations with Kim, Ahn himself later characterized that explanation as “faulty.” The politician said in a Facebook post that he was responsible and was sorry for the pain his “foolish behavior” had caused Kim. He said he would resign from the post he has served in for more than seven years and suspended all political activities.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.