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| Are all allegations of sexual harassment true? / Yonhap |
By Jung Min-ho
The widow of a public middle school teacher, who committed suicide last year amid a sexual harassment investigation, claims a student's lie killed her innocent husband.
Kang Ha-jung, who lost her husband Song Kyung-jin on Aug. 5, posted a plea on the presidential office website on Mar. 15. She urged the government to uncover the truth about what drove him to his death and to punish those who blindly vilified him without checking the facts.
Over the past 10 days, her post has garnered more than 21,000 signatures.
"A student's lie soon became a sexual harassment allegation against him. He didn't have any proper chance to explain. Pressured enormously by the student human rights center, he had to kill himself to prove his innocence," Kang wrote.
"Some people say, 'If he didn't do it, why would he die? He should have insisted on his innocence.' He tried hard until he realized there was no other way but death to prove his innocence. No one seemed to listen."
Song, a teacher at the Sangseo Middle School in North Jeolla Province, was accused of inappropriately touching a female student. There was no evidence.
But the North Jeolla Province Office of Education immediately removed Son from his position, leaving him vulnerable to gossip and rumors.
Kang claimed the student made the false accusation after Song reprimanded her for using her mobile phone in a classroom.
After Son died, Kang complained to the National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK), which she said ignored her request for a thorough investigation. The education office was not helpful either, she noted.
"It could happen to any man. Once any woman starts to make sexual harassment allegations against you, you are caught in a trap," she wrote.
"This country has no sense of justice for falsely accused men. If someone points a finger at you, you will be judged immediately. Why do we need police, prosecutors and judges? Where is the presumption of innocence for those who are accused of sexual crimes?"
"There are not just criminals but also innocent people who are falsely accused … I strongly condemn the NHRCK for blindly protecting the human rights of some people while ignoring others."
Kang called on President Moon Jae-in to establish a system to better protect people like her husband, as many other people have demanded amid the #MeToo movement over the past few months.
