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Why is extramarital affair unforgivable in Korea?

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Former presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun leaves the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters, Wednesday, after explaining his affair allegation to the party leadership. / Yonhap
Former presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun leaves the Democratic Party of Korea headquarters, Wednesday, after explaining his affair allegation to the party leadership. / Yonhap

By Choi Ha-young

Former presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun, who was running for the South Chungcheong Province governor post, eventually gave up his election bid, Wednesday, after being hit by an allegation that he had an extramarital affair with a female member of his Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).

He admitted he had "good feelings" about the woman, but denied that he helped her get nominated for a local councilor election in 2014. Park said he had been separated from his wife for 11 years before they legally divorced last year.

However, a press conference failed to calm flooding criticism against him, making the ruling DPK recommend he voluntarily give up his bid, which he did.

If he violated any laws, he should be investigated by the authorities. But so far, any clear law violation has not been found, although he changed some words in the story about his ex-wife. As Park explained, his case was different from the current #MeToo claims that feature sexual crimes.

Park is not the first politician to lose an opportunity due to an affair. In 2014, a minister-designate failed to get approval from the National Assembly after being involved in one. He did not give up his nomination despite various corruption allegations and ethical lapses, including driving under the influence and real estate speculation. However, it was the affair which made him quit.

In Korea, where Confucianism influence lingers, affairs have a worse stigma than law violations.

That doesn't mean extramarital relationships don't exist here. According to a survey released in 2015, 24.2 percent of married adults have had extramarital relations. Park appealed to public sentiment, saying, "I know many of you have family problems as well. Why do you rub salt in my wound, while you also have wounds?"

A female DPK lawmaker said many party lawmakers were "sympathetic" to Park. However, the party leadership, being afraid of losing public support, chose to evade the controversy rather than giving him a chance to be judged by the voters.

A commentator, who asked for anonymity because of a possible public backlash, said the DPK was "timid" in handling the case. But as a political party that needs public support, it was "politically wise" to remove potential risk factors, he added.

Obviously, Korean society is becoming more tolerant toward personal issues including sexual orientation, single parent families and divorce, and it needs to do more in terms of fully ensuring individual rights and privacy as long as they don't harm others' rights.

Some say extramarital affairs harm others, particularly the spouse. Still, society needs to answer the question Park posed: Is an affair allegation a bigger flaw to a politician than corruption? And is it a reasonable standard to judge their qualifications as a public servant?




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