Prosecution removes desk of Seo Ji-hyun
Seo Ji-hyun
By Kim Se-jeong
The prosecutor’s office recently removed the name of Seo Ji-hyun, who raised sexual harassment allegations against her former supervisor, from its list of active prosecutors.
Seo, who is currently on sick leave, took the move as a form of retaliation against her, but the prosecutors’ office dismissed this accusation.
The Tongyeong branch of the Changwon District Prosecutors’ Office emptied Seo’s office, relocated her belongings to another place in the prosecution compound and reassigned Seo’s coworkers to other posts.
“I want to know if this is really a normal practice (I was supposed to go back soon). I was only considering extending my leave and I hadn’t made up my mind yet. This is not a pleasant experience,” Seo said. She took one month of sick leave right before making the sexual harassment accusations in a live television interview on Jan. 29.
The prosecution claimed the move was part of a normal practice.
“She showed her intention to extend her sick leave. We simply can’t leave the room empty (until she comes back). It’s a small office and we need to make room for other things. When she returns, we’ll again make room for her and assign staff.”
Seo mentioned retaliation against those speaking up about sexual harassment within the prosecutors’ office and said that kept her from speaking out for so many years.
She claimed her supervisor, Ahn Tae-geun, had groped her waist and rear in 2010. Instead of receiving an apology, she claimed she was transferred from the Seoul Northern District Prosecutor’s Office to the Tongyeong branch in southern Korea.
Her revelation last month also instigated retaliation from some of her colleagues and male members of the public who claimed she did so to get a new appointment or to enter politics.
She is reportedly in distress from retaliation and receiving treatment in a hospital.
Seo’s revelation has rattled Korea.
It prompted the prosecutors’ office to launch a special team to look into her case. The Ministry of Justice also launched a special committee to look into sexual harassment in the ministry and its affiliated offices.
On Thursday, the investigation team interviewed Seo’s former bosses from 2010 with the knowledge about the incident. One of them contacted his superiors for help, but nothing happened.
Much of the public attention is on when the accused Ahn will attend a questioning session. Ahn is no longer a prosecutor but the investigation team remains positive he will show up for questioning.