| President Moon Jae-in, center, poses with employees at the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family during a visit to the ministry on Dec. 20, 2018. He is joined by Rep. Jin Sun-mee of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), second from left in the front row. She was serving as gender equality minister at the time. Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae |
By Do Je-hae
Questions are rising over why President Moon Jae-in is not making any mention of a series of sexual harassment scandals involving high profile politicians of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK).
His silence on the issue is considered unusual, given that he had pledged to be a “feminist President,” and has underscored the need for supporting and empowering women, and put a special emphasis on raising the proportion of female leaders in his Cabinet and the presidential office.
There was an expectation that Moon, during Monday's meeting with senior aides, would mention the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and the allegations that he sexually abused his secretary ― a case that has made headlines in the local media since Park was found dead in an apparent suicide, July 10.
But Moon failed to mention anything related to the Park scandal. The President has also distanced himself from the sexual violence scandals of other DPK heavyweights, such as former South Chungcheong Province Governor An Hee-jung and former Busan Mayor Oh Keo-don. Both politicians stepped down from office due to #MeToo allegations from women who worked closely with them.
Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun and DPK Chairman Lee Hae-chan have apologized publicly regarding Park's case, but the opposition is demanding Moon speak out about it. During a national address at the National Assembly, July 16, Moon was criticized for not mentioning anything about the rising concerns over sexual abuse in his party.
“There was nothing (in his speech) about the series of sexual abuse cases at the DPK. The people are demanding that he give a public apology and take responsible measures,” Rep. Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the main opposition United Future Party (UFP), said after Moon's speech to mark the opening of the 21st National Assembly.
“We have to ask whether the President is turning his back on the victims of the sexual harassment,” said Jo Hye-min, spokesperson for the minor Justice Party.
The criticism for Moon's “selective silence” is higher because he has previously made comments addressing high-profile sexual violence cases, and promised to root out sex crimes. During his presidential campaign, he even announced he would become a “feminist President” to improve gender equality.
The foreign media is also taking a critical tone of Moon in light of his glaring silence on the scandals.
A CNN report underlined that three of the President's “allies” have been accused of sex crimes.
In particular, the CNN report compared Moon's attitude with that of ousted former President Park Geun-hye who apologized for a sexual violence allegation involving her spokesman Yoon Chang-jung which occurred during Park's first visit to the U.S. in 2013. Park immediately removed him from his post and offered a public apology.
More women in their 20s and 30s, one of the demographics most strongly supporting Moon, are becoming increasingly disapproving of him, according to the latest surveys.
The President's job approval rating, currently standing at about 44 percent, is the lowest since October when he pushed ahead with appointing Cho Kuk to lead the Ministry of Justice despite corruption allegations involving him and his family.
In the latest poll released by Realmeter, Monday, his approval rating stood at 44.8 percent, down 3.9 percentage points. And the largest decrease came from women of all ages and people in their 30s. Female respondents' approval rating for the President declined 6.6 percentage points from a week earlier, and among people in their 30s, it dropped 14.4 percentage points.