Famous politician resigns after being accused of raping his secretary
Rising star of South Korea's ruling party An Hee-jung, governor of South Chungcheong Province, resigned on March 6 after being accused of raping a female secretary.
Kim Ji-eun, 33, Mr. An’s secretary, accused the official of raping her four times and sexually assaulting her numerous times during the eight months she worked for him. The accusations were made in a television interview on the evening of March 5, South Korea’s JoongAng Daily reported.
Police said they were investigating allegations against Mr. An, a member of President Moon Jae-in's Democratic Party.
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Mr. An, who looks younger than his 52 years, became a strong rival to President Moon Jae-in in last year’s party polls. The politician was once considered a possible future leader of South Korea.
Initially, the politician's office claimed that the sexual relationship was consensual. However, just hours after the interview aired, Mr. An wrote on Facebook that his staff had misspoken and that he intended to resign as Governor and withdraw from political life forever. "My office staff was wrong to say that it was a consensual relationship. It's all my fault."
With the above incident, Mr. An is the most famous politician involved in the #MeToo movement in Korea, Reuters reported.
Discussion of inappropriate behavior has long been taboo in South Korea, but in recent months the #MeToo movement against rape and harassment has gained momentum, threatening a series of high-profile figures across all fields.