Justice Party Leader Kim Jong-cheol Removed from His Position for Sexually Assaulting a Lawmaker

[경향신문]

Depressed: Justice Party floor leader Kang Eun-mi leaves the room after a private meeting of the party’s leaders at the National Assembly on January 25. This day, the party’s leader Kim Jong-cheol was removed from his position due to his sexual assault of lawmaker Jang Hye-young. National Assembly press photographers

On January 25, Kim Jong-cheol (51, pictured), leader of the Justice Party was removed from his position as party leader for sexually assaulting Jang Hye-young, a lawmaker from the same party. Kim admitted the allegations of sexual assault and expressed his wishes to step down as party leader. This is the first time that the leader of a major political party has been removed from his position due to sexual misconduct. The Justice Party, which has represented minorities and the vulnerable and advocated human rights and gender equality as an established progressive party, will take a critical blow to its morality. A negative impact is expected on future political events, such as the by-elections in April and next year’s presidential election, forcing the party to face the greatest crisis since it was founded nine years ago.

Bae Bok-joo, vice leader of the Justice Party and also the head of the party’s gender rights center held an emergency press conference and announced, “We are sorry to inform you, our party members and the people, of some extremely shameful and devastating news,” and said, “It is a case of sexual assault by Kim Jong-cheol, and the victim was Jang Hye-young, a lawmaker of our party.”

According to the Justice Party, Kim sexually assaulted Jang after having dinner to discuss party affairs at a restaurant in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul on January 15. Bae explained, “On their way out after the meeting, Kim assaulted Jang.”

The party’s gender rights center accepted a request from Jang and launched a week-long private investigation on January 18. The division reported the results of the investigation in a private meeting of the party’s leaders. The leaders of the party presented the case to the Central Party Disciplinary Committee and removed Kim from his position according to the party’s regulations. Vice leader, Kim Yoon-ki will be the acting leader of the party. The party will not press criminal charges against Kim Jong-cheol, according to the wishes of lawmaker Jang. However, a sexual offence can be punished even if the victim does not file charges.

Kim Jong-cheol was elected party leader to succeed former leader Sim Sang-jeung in October 2020. He promoted “a clear progressive party” and was referred to as the next-generation leader of the progressive party. Thus the latest incident has put the entire progressive camp including the Justice Party, into shock.

This day, Kim released a statement and acknowledged his misbehavior saying, “I caused harm through what was apparently sexual assault by attempting inappropriate physical contact, which the victim did not want, and without the consent of the victim,” He further said, “There can be no excuse for the act, and the victim was badly hurt.” He added, “I have given the Justice Party, its members and the people, a shock that cannot be erased. I deeply bow and apologize.”

The victim, Jang, released a statement and said, “The shock and pain of having my dignity as an equal human being undermined by a political colleague who called for an end to gender violence together and a leader whom I deeply trusted was indeed great.” As for why she disclosed the incident, she explained, “It was to restore my dignity as a human being and return to my daily routine, and because I believed that this was the right thing for the party and for our society.”

Due to Kim’s sexual misconduct, the progressive party has suffered a blow to its morality, from which it will not be easy to recover. It will be inevitable for the party to face the worst situation in the April by-elections and next year’s presidential election. Some members of the party poured out their resentment calling for the party to expel Kim. Some experts argue that the latest incident has damaged the morality of the entire progressive camp, for it is a sexual assault case following a series of cases involving politicians from the Democratic Party of Korea, such as Ahn Hee-jung, former governor of Chungcheongnam-do; Oh Keo-don, former mayor of Busan; and the late Park Won-soon, former mayor of Seoul.