LKP head under sexual harassment allegation

By Kim Rahn

Hong Joon-pyo

Main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) Chairman Hong Joon-pyo again has been embroiled in sexual harassment allegations.

It is not the first time for him to be attacked for his distorted view of sex and gender issues, and it is to be seen whether this is enough to make female voters turn their backs on the conservative party and eventually affect the local elections slated for June.

Ryu Yeo-hae, a former member of the party’s decision-making Supreme Council, claimed Tuesday that Hong made insulting and sexually-harassing remarks on many occasions toward her and other female party members.

“He once told me, ‘You stop talking. Women are most beautiful when they are quiet. Women are useful only at night,’” she said.

“I asked the party’s ethics committee to take punitive measures against Hong for such remarks, but the committee rejected my request that day because Hong was the head of the party.”

Ryu claimed she was alone with Hong when he said these things and did not record the conversation. But she added she has records of other conversations in which Hong made improper comments.

Hong, in response, denied the allegation. “In a political career of 24 years, I’ve never made a sexually-harassing remark and have never been involved in sexual harassment,” he said on Facebook.

He claimed Ryu “lied” in revenge as the party decided to expel her following her eccentric comments and behavior.

But the minor opposition Bareun Party said Hong should be sued for sexual harassment. “Hong, head of the ‘macho party,’ should kneel and apologize to 20 million women in the country for using verbal violence,” party spokeswoman Hwang Yu-jeong said in a statement.

Previously Hong also caused a stir with his sexist notions and distorted views on gender issues during his campaigning for the May presidential election.

It was belatedly found that in his memoir published in 2005, he proudly recalled that he helped his friend attempt to rape a woman when they were 20. “He told us he should possess the girl during the upcoming picnic,” the book reads. “So I and my friends obtained a drug used on pigs in rutting season, and secretly put it in her beer, which rendered her unconscious.”

The attempt failed because she regained consciousness and resisted fiercely. He said in the book, “At that time it was for fun but I realized it was a gross fault after becoming a prosecutor.”

Hong also said in an interview, “How can I wash dishes? Men have their own jobs and women have theirs. These are divine jobs.” As the remarks brought a backlash from women, he later said, “I said that to look ‘manly.’”