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| Former South Chungcheong Governor An Hee-jung talks with President Moon Jae-in during a political event held in April last year. / Korea Times photo by Oh Dae-geun |
Prominent liberal politician faces end of career
By Choi Ha-young
Former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung's political career is in danger after one of his female aides alleged Monday that he had sexually abused her for several months.
The latest #MeToo claim revealed two faces of the prominent liberal politician who had been touted as a potential candidate for the next presidency. He had been considered as having many elements of charm for female voters with his good looks and eloquence. But his fate is now uncertain.
Only hours after being exposed by his secretary, Kim Ji-eun, the governor admitted his wrongdoings and announced his resignation from politics. "I am deeply sorry to Kim who has suffered because of me," An posted on Facebook, Tuesday.
Koreans were shocked following Kim's exposure on a prime-time TV interview ― including specific dates and places where he allegedly raped his secretary ― amid the spreading #MeToo movement here.
For years, the 52-year-old had been renowned for his respect for social minorities. When he ran in the presidential race last year, the governor appealed to young voters by openly supporting sexual minorities. His viral remark, "Homosexuality is not a matter of controversy," encouraged many sexual minorities, said gay TV star Hong Seok-chon.
In the middle of the primary of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), the contender once emerged as a serious rival to then-leading candidate Moon Jae-in, who is now president. An dreamed of a come-from-behind victory, but ended taking second place in the primary with 21.5 percent of the vote. Though he was defeated by Moon, he was always floated as the next DPK leader, which would have been a springboard for the presidency.
While serving as governor, he established the "human rights ordinance" for South Chungcheong residents that brought harsh protests from conservatives and some Christians who are against rights for sexual minorities. Despite such controversy, An was ranked as the best governor for 12 months in a row, according to an opinion survey issued by Realmeter in April last year.
For years, An had maintained an exceptional reputation in national politics across the ideological spectrum. His initiative of "cooperative politics" to break away from ideological confrontation and share power with rival parties was largely praised by the conservatives as well.
Like many liberal leaders, he was a radical student activist during the dictatorship era. According to his autobiography published in 2007, An decided to devote himself to a socialist revolution after learning about the government backed massacres in Gwangju during democracy protests.
He began to gain a reputation as the secretary of ex-President Roh Moo-hyun. In the 2002 presidential election, An was nicknamed "Roh's left-hand" who was a major force behind his surprise victory. After Roh's suicide in 2009, An impressed many liberals by his determined speech.
Thanks to this background, he posed himself as a political heir to Roh. He also adopted the ex-president's unique speech style in the press conference when he declared his presidential bid by holding a five-hour debate without a script.
If he is put in jail for his sexual wrongdoing, it would be for the fourth time. He was jailed twice in the 1980s for his involvement in anti-military dictatorship activities. In 2004, he was again imprisoned for violating the Political Fund Law, shouldering responsibility for Roh's misconduct in handling political funds.
An frequently introduced himself as a "30-year member of the DPK." His party membership, however, was nullified by the party's ethics committee, Tuesday. Further, the allegation is likely to strike a blow to the ruling party ahead of local election slated for June.
His longtime friend and former spokesman Park Soo-hyun, who is running for governor of South Chungcheong, said Tuesday that he will stop his campaign in the aftermath of the scandal.
