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By Kim Jae-heun
Two aides of former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung have been booked by police for posting malicious comments against his former secretary Kim Ji-eun, who has alleged he raped her.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Policy Agency's Cyber Bureau, Wednesday, it booked another former secretary and An's website manager without detention for defamation and libel.
"We cannot rule out the possibility that An's staffers posted such slanderous comments about Kim systematically. We are questioning them about it," a police officer said.
The two people are suspected of having posted the comments to news articles about the case since March when Kim disclosed she was sexually assaulted by An. They allegedly did so until recently before a local court acquitted An of the rape charges.
On social network services, they also allegedly slandered Kim's behavior and her personal life, which were irrelevant to the rape allegation, often using abusive language. The former secretary was Kim's successor and he testified against Kim during the hearings.
Police began investigating them after women's rights organizations, including the Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center, filed a complaint.
Earlier last week, the Seoul Western District Court acquitted An of rape and sexual harassment, ruling that there was not enough evidence supporting the charges.
Nearly 20,000 people gathered at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on Saturday to protest the court's decision.
