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| Liberty Korea Party Chairman Hong Joon-pyo, center, and floor leader Kim Sung-tae, left, hold signs supporting the #MeToo movement, along with female party members, March 6. / Yonhap |
By Choi Ha-young
The #MeToo movement is sweeping the political community after hitting the art and culture scenes hard. But oddly enough, allegations are being raised only against liberal politicians.
Is this because conservative politicians have higher ethical standards and are better behaved?
The conservative Liberty Korea Party (LKP) has stepped up a political offensive over a series of sexual misconduct claims against members of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), including former South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung and Rep. Min Byung-doo.
Observers and sources said there is an atmosphere within the conservative bloc that makes it difficult for its victims to make such issues public.
Political analyst Choi Young-il said conservatives are already "immune to" sex scandals. "Before #MeToo was coined, conservatives monopolized sex crimes," Choi said.
"On the other hand, liberal figures, mainly with backgrounds in anti-military dictatorship and pro-democracy struggles, have boasted a sense of ethics. For example, liberal ex-President Roh Moo-hyun killed himself over guilt about a bribery scandal, while conservative ex-presidents even boycott investigations though they allegedly took more bribes."
A female party official who has worked for conservative parties for years said there are victims of sexual crimes in the conservative bloc, too, but they are afraid of crying foul. "I couldn't recommend my colleague to expose her case," she said on condition of anonymity.
"First of all, the conservatives are not familiar with resolving problems through social movements. They tend to resort to systems, being skeptical about the effects of personal action.
"Further, there are few options for conservative staffers to change jobs, if they choose to expose their cases after quitting the party. Other than parties and lawmakers' offices, we don't have enough career options, compared to the liberal bloc that has numerous civic organizations and advocates for whistleblowers."
An "outdated" understanding of sexual crime is another hurdle for conservative victims to take issue with. Rep. Park Soon-ja, chief of the special committee in the LKP to counter sex crimes, indicated "minor sexual misconduct" is not problematic.
"Compared to rape allegations raised in the DPK, LKP lawmakers merely touched women's bodies," the female lawmaker said.
"As shown by Park's remark, conservative parties generally lack sensitivity for women and social minorities," the unnamed party official noted. This means young staffers do not have any senior officials to help them if they suffer sexual harassment. "Even if a victim takes the issue public, there's no guarantee they could resume a normal life."
Yoon So-young, a women's rights activist based in South Gyeongsang Province, the conservatives' home turf, said the hierarchy in conservative parties is a fundamental factor that hampers individual actions.
"Compared to other political groups, conservative parties feature a strong top-down system. Based on my experiences, female LKP members shun victims once the party headquarters orders them not to respond to such claims," Yoon said.
Under these circumstances, LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo has politicized the movement as a measure to attack his liberal rivals.
"I hope more leftist politicians are caught by the snowballing #MeToo campaign to reveal their hypocrisy," Hong said at the party's National Women's Conference, March 6. "Continuous #MeToo claims among the liberals are relevant to pro-North Korean leftists' wrong sexual habits that were prevalent in the 1980s."
The LKP chief capitalized on the scandal surrounding ex-Governor An for his own political gain, during a Cheong Wa Dae visit March 7. As a greeting to presidential chief of staff Im Jong-seok, Hong said: "Glad to see you not hit by the #MeToo movements. Rumors are rampant you orchestrated An's case."
After his remarks came under fire for exploiting the victim, Hong said "It was a joke."
Though it is lesser known, #MeToo claims have already taken place within the LKP. Former LKP Supreme Council member Ryu Yeo-hae has claimed Hong has harassed and insulted her. However, Hong dismissed the allegation saying, "You do not deserve to be harassed."
Hong is not free from misogynistic remarks. In his biography published in 2005, Hong boasted of an experience in his college days of providing an animal stimulant his friend used in a rape attempt on a female student. It kicked up controversy last year when he was the presidential candidate of the LKP.
Regarding the stir that haunted him during the presidential race last May, Hong claimed it was "fabricated" by the liberals, rather than admitting his wrongdoing. "I'm innocent," he said in front of female party members, March 6.
