'Sexual violence is like Holocaust'

Seo Ji-hyun, a prosecutor in Suwon, speaks during a forum at the National Assembly, Tuesday, organized by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) to discuss the impact of the #MeToo movement in South Korea. Yonhap

By Kim Yoo-chul

A woman who ignited South Korea's #MeToo movement claimed Tuesday victims of sex abuse are not fairly protected here, asking the country's ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) and civil society to create a system for the victims.

“Sexual violence is like the Holocaust. #MeToo is not an endgame as it's more like a clarion call to something bigger. South Korea saw little progress in terms of correcting relevant harmful social systems. In Korea, people who've shared their own #MeToo stories should be protected properly as these experiences are nothing new and the movement should be understood as a voice for positive change,” Seo Ji-hyun, a prosecutor in Seoul, said in a forum organized by DPK at the National Assembly.

A year ago, the prosecutor went public in a live television interview, as she defied convention to tell her story. At that time, she said a senior male prosecutor groped her when she was at the funeral of another colleague's father.

After she reported the incident, she suffered career setbacks in her workplace as South Korea is still a society where patriarchal and hierarchical values remain deeply ingrained. Seo's interview opened the floodgates and had a significant resounding impact on the lives of women in Korea.

“While a year has passed since my interview, I still feel pain and anger. There were moves to hide wrongdoings and I was forced to keep calm to continue raising relevant issues. Media outlets paid little attention to embrace and share the pains and sorrows of the victims, as they tried to highlight such issues to raise controversy rather than addressing the issue,” Seo said, adding women in South Korea still fear being subjected to backlash discrimination when they report sexual harassment.

“I was very sorry to share my experiences as a prosecutor as my job is to pursue and seek justice. I was forced to remain calm to speak out about this criminal act. Ironically, I was blamed for speaking out on my experience. Our community is responsible for sexual violence as this is organized crime, not a personal matter,” the prosecutor told participants during the forum.

DPK Rep. Jeong Choon-sook, experts, professors and representatives of civil communities attended the forum. Jeong, who is also the head of the DPK-established sexual harassment prevention committee, said the ruling party will team up with opposition parties and civil communities to pass pending bills to help victims get substantial and detailed support.

A recent survey by the Korea Women Workers' Association showed about 70 percent of women who reported various types of workplace harassment suffered damage to their careers.

Rather than remain in the shadows, however, Seo said women need to stand up and let their voice be heard by sharing their own stories. Last year, traditional and social media have become dominated by discussions about deeply ingrained gender discrimination in South Korea.

President Moon Jae-in recently announced extensions to the statute of limitations for sex crimes and a process that allows victims to report such crimes anonymously.