Ruling party reeling from series of #MeToo claims
Choo Mi-ae, chairwoman of the Democratic Party of Korea, speaks at a party meeting in the National Assembly, Wednesday. / Yonhap
By Choi Ha-young
The ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is going all-out to minimize the impact of a series of #MeToo claims against party members, including former South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung.
Only an hour after An’s alleged sex abuses were reported Monday night, DPK Chairwoman Rep. Choo Mi-ae promptly organized an emergency meeting to make a decision to expel An, who had been regarded as a potential candidate for the next presidential election. On Tuesday, the DPK ethics committee ousted him by a unanimous vote.
On Wednesday, former lawmaker Chung Bong-ju canceled a press conference in which he was supposed to declare his bid for the post of Seoul mayor in the June local elections following a media report of alleged sexual misconduct in 2011.
“I have no excuse to offer,” Choo apologized again, wearing a black suit, Wednesday. The party launched a special committee to tackle sexual violations the same day, chaired by Rep. Nam In-soon, a renowned women’s rights activist.
“A report center under the committee will look into sexual violence cases related to the party. Also, we will make an education program compulsory for politicians who will run in the local elections in June,” she added at a regular party meeting.
Leading DPK lawmakers repeatedly lowered their heads at the meeting. The scandal of the former governor is likely to hurt the popularity of the ruling party. So far, the DPK was widely believed to be able to sweep the upcoming elections, backed by the popularity of President Moon Jae-in.
However, the #MeToo claim has overshadowed the President’s peace overtures which led to his special envoys’ meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang.
After the scandal erupted, the rival Liberty Korea Party (LKP) launched a political offensive. LKP Chairman Hong Joon-pyo said Tuesday, “I hope more leftist politicians are caught by the snowballing #MeToo campaign to reveal their hypocrisy.” Hong has been in trouble many times for his misogynistic remarks.
To prevent further controversy, the DPK vowed not to politicize the minorities’ voices. “The party will never face away from the truth to win in the elections. We will use the incident as momentum to achieve a safe and fair society,” Choo said.
DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik lauded the #MeToo movement, as a motion to overcome the limitations of the existing democratic system here. “The movement is comparable to workers’ protests that erupted following nationwide demonstrations in 1987, to expand the rights of the social minorities beyond political democracy. Similarly, #MeToo claims emerged after the candlelit protest in 2016 to remove corrupt ex-president,” Woo said.
“The #MeToo campaigns are not an ideological problem. Regardless of ideological spectrum, all parties should join hands to fight against sexual crimes. The LKP should understand this point,” Woo noted.