Ex-governor An faces probe over #MeToo rape claims

An Hee-jung

By Lee Kyung-min

Police launched an investigation into former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung, Tuesday, over allegations he raped an aide on four occasions over the past eight months. Chungnam Provincial Police Agency said they would soon start an investigation to review the claim that An raped and sexually harassed his secretary for political affairs Kim Ji-eun, who made the shocking revelation on a nationally televised interview on JTBC, late Monday. Kim said she knew of other victims subject to his sexual abuse without revealing their names. South Chungcheong Province Government accepted An’s resignation, tendered hours after the broadcast aired. The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said it would convene a meeting to discuss his expulsion and permanent removal from party membership.

The allegation was met with public outrage, evidenced by a man who was detained by police after he threw a baseball bat through a window of An’s official residence. The man, 37, a registered DPK member said he was enraged by the report. Kim, who had been serving as An’s public relations manager in the lead up to the presidential election last year, became his political affairs secretary after he failed to win the presidential race.

Kim, who continued to refer to An as “governor,” during the interview said she was unable to reject his advances, sexual or otherwise. “I was his secretary. I was in a position where I always had to say yes to him even when everybody else says no. I am not in an equal position to the governor,” she said. The incident was the result of abuse of power, Kim added, denying An’s claim that the sexual relations were consensual. “The relationship between me and the governor allowed no room for an agreement. I could not say no to him.”

Kim said she decided to come forward as An tried to rape her Feb. 25, when the #MeToo movement was increasingly gaining public support, a month after a woman prosecutor Seo Ji-hyun publicly alleged that she was groped by a then-senior justice ministry official Ahn Tae-geun at a funeral eight years ago. An, Kim said, apologized to her, saying “Are you okay? I realized how I might have hurt you,” a remark, however, that ended up meaningless as he again tried to rape her later in the day. Kim said the most she could do to reject him was to say, “This is not right.” She said An must have known she was uncomfortable about his continued advances even though she never once said no to him.

Despite numerous attempts to “signal” to her coworkers that she was seeking help, nobody stepped up, which she widely expected given her earlier sexual harassment allegations were largely ignored. “A co-worker who had more work experience than me asked me once whether something happened, but said nobody could help me. I knew I couldn’t expect help if I raised a claim against An, as I was not able to make things right when I told someone about his earlier sexual harassment.”

Meanwhile, An posted an apology on his facebook account, saying he would take all responsibility for “stupid behavior.”

“I offer my sincere apology to Kim Ji-eun, who must have suffered due to my actions. An earlier statement made by my office saying the sexual relations were consensual was wrong. It’s all my fault. I hereby resign as governor and will halt any political activities. I deeply apologize to everyone.”