Timing of Busan mayor's resignation brings political controversy

By Kang Seung-woo

A political dispute is rising regarding the timing of former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don's unexpected resignation Thursday following a sexual harassment accusation.

The main opposition United Future Party (UFP) claimed that the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) intentionally got Oh ― a party member ― to postpone his departure until after the April 15 general election, to prevent the unsavory incident from negatively affecting its results.

However, the DPK denied the allegation, saying it was unaware of the case until he made the announcement about the accusation and his resignation.

On Thursday, Oh held an unscheduled press conference and announced he would step down from his post because he had made “unnecessary” physical contact with a female subordinate earlier this month. The 71-year-old was elected to the post on the ruling party's ticket in 2018.

“I wonder why such a huge incident came to light after the general election was over,” Rep. Lee Un-ju of the UFP said on Facebook, Thursday, raising the suspicion that the DPK pulled strings. Lee ran in a constituency in Busan but lost by a small margin.

“An investigation should be launched immediately to find why this case remained unannounced until after the election. It is a huge election-meddling scandal.”

UFP floor leader Rep. Shim Jae-cheol said Friday that the party will use all possible measures to find the truth about the ruling party's involvement.

“It is a shock that a local government head not only sexually harassed a female subordinate in his office but also coordinated the timing of his resignation with the victim,” he said.

The party also called for an official Assembly investigation into the incident.

In response, the DPK said the party had nothing to do with Oh's decision to quit after the election.

“The Busan mayor did not discuss the timing of his resignation with the party,” Rep. Yun Ho-jung, the DPK's secretary-general, said.

Another party official commented: “The party did not know anything about the case. We only found out right before the announcement.”

Amid growing suspicions in political circles over the timing, the victim said she did not want the case to be used politically.

In a statement disclosed by the Busan Counseling Center Against Sexual Violence, the victim said she asked the mayor to make a public apology and step down by the end of April.

However, the victim said the end-April deadline for the mayor's resignation was nothing to do with the general election, adding that nobody had pressured her about this.

The center also rejected the speculation, saying Oh did not propose the timing of his resignation.

“We were surprised to see him make an announcement earlier than we expected. The victim never asked Oh to announce his resignation before or after the election and the Busan Metropolitan Government also did not ask him to quit after the election,” an official said.

“We express our regret over the suspicions.”