PHOTOS Assembly Speaker pressured to step down over 'cheek touching' sexual harassment

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang touches Rep. Lim Lee-ja on the cheeks Wednesday. Courtesy of Rep. Song Hee-kyeong

By Park Si-soo

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang is under pressure to step down after he touched a female lawmaker on the cheeks in a physical confrontation with lawmakers over a controversial reform bill on Wednesday.

Photos show Moon putting his hands on the cheeks of Rep. Lim Lee-ja of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP). She was trying to block Moon from leaving his room that was packed with protesting lawmakers. The controversial “cheek touching” came on the heels of Moon hugging Lim abruptly.

According to witnesses, the hugging was an “accident” that happened when the Speaker was in a shoving match with protesting lawmakers. Lim complained to the Speaker over the touch, saying “This is a sexual harassment.” The Speaker then touched her on the cheeks, saying “Is this too?”

Moon, who managed to escape, is being hospitalized to treat hypoglycemic shock, which his aides blamed on the confrontation that lasted half an hour.

Lim said she “felt ashamed” by Moon's touching and demanded he step down as Speaker. The LKP's female lawmakers held a joint protest on Wednesday and also called on Moon to step down.

Moon remained silent, but his spokesman said LPK lawmakers were also responsible for the trouble.

“LPK lawmakers virtually locked the Speaker in the room in protest,” the spokesman said. “This was a grave show of disrespect for the Speaker, as well as disrespect for the rules and orders stipulated in the National Assembly Acts.”

The spokesman demanded that the LPK apologize first.

The “cheek touching” came on the heels of Moon hugging Lim abruptly.

Moon hugs Lim on Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han