{"id":60124,"date":"2018-03-06T06:09:26","date_gmt":"2018-03-06T06:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/?p=60124"},"modified":"2018-03-06T06:09:27","modified_gmt":"2018-03-06T06:09:27","slug":"south-korean-provincial-governor-resigns-over-sexual-assault-claim","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.biphoo.com\/bipnews\/world-news\/south-korean-provincial-governor-resigns-over-sexual-assault-claim.html","title":{"rendered":"South Korean provincial governor resigns over sexual assault claim"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Korean provincial governor resigns over sexual assault claim<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

An up-and-coming South Korean provincial governor announced his resignation on Tuesday, just hours after an aide accused him of repeated sexual assault, as the snowballing #MeToo movement rattled the country\u2019s political establishment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The woman accused An Hee-<\/span>jung, a leading hopeful in last year\u2019s presidential election and a member of President Moon Jae-in\u2019s Democratic Party, in a television interview on Monday evening. Police said were investigating the allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n

An\u2019s office initially claimed that the sex was consensual; however, just a few hours after the interview was aired, An took to Facebook to say his staff\u2019s statement was erroneous and announced he planned to resign and retire from political life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMy staff office\u2019s description of the relationship as consensual was incorrect,\u201d he wrote. \u201cEverything is my fault.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Chungnam provincial police department said it has launched an investigation following the allegations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Discussion of sexual misconduct has long been taboo in South Korea, but in recent months the anti-sexual harassment #MeToo movement has taken off, ensnaring a number of high-profile figures across various fields, from the entertainment industry to the religious community to the literary world.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to broadcaster JTBC, An\u2019s aide, Kim Ji-<\/span>eun, said An had sexually harassed and repeatedly assaulted her.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOver the past eight months I have been sexually assaulted four times,\u201d she told broadcaster JTBC.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span>An recently talked to me about the growing sense of the #MeToo movement and it seems to me that he looked nervous and asked me if I was okay, then he said he was sorry,\u201d Kim said, adding that An nevertheless assaulted her again.<\/span><\/p>\n

Both An and Kim were not immediately reachable for comment.<\/span><\/p>\n

The ruling Democratic Party quickly moved to expel An from the party, with party head Choo Mi-ae saying that the alleged acts \u201cshould have never happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A youthful-looking 52-year-old, An became an unexpected challenger to Moon during last year\u2019s presidential primaries.<\/span><\/p>\n

He was seen by many as a down-to-earth, uncomplicated politician, traits that served him well in a nation roiled by the impeachment of President Park Geun-<\/span>hye in 2016.<\/span><\/p>\n

Supporters nicknamed An the \u201cEXO of South Chungcheong,\u201d after a popular K-pop band, and his Instagram postings include a soap opera parody photo and a New Year video message featuring his cat.<\/span><\/p>\n

Source:-\u00a0https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/us-southkorea-metoo-politician\/south-korean-provincial-governor-resigns-over-sexual-assault-claim-idUSKCN1GI0AC<\/span><\/p>\n

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