Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jang Kyung-tae on Sunday denied allegations that he sexually harassed a female National Assembly aide last year, saying he would file a criminal complaint against the alleged victim for false accusation.
The accusation surfaced Thursday after TV Chosun broadcast video footage submitted by the alleged victim’s boyfriend. The clip, filmed at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in October 2024, shows Jang seated closely beside the woman, who appears heavily intoxicated and struggling to sit upright. The boyfriend is later shown confronting Jang, grabbing him by the collar and shouting, “What are you doing? What do you think you’re doing with someone else’s girlfriend?”
The alleged victim says Jang molested her during the dinner. She filed a complaint over a year later with the Yeongdeungpo Police Station on Nov. 25, accusing Jang of molestation. The case was transferred the next day to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
In an emergency press conference at the National Assembly, Jang dismissed the allegations as fabricated and said the TV Chosun coverage had “twisted the nature of the case.”
“There was no harassment. This incident is a dating violence case,” he said. “Everyone present at the scene was a victim of the verbal and physical abuse committed by the accuser’s so-called boyfriend. I will clarify the truth and deal with this in a strong manner.”
Jang said he joined the gathering late and left shortly after the boyfriend appeared “yelling loudly and becoming violent.” He said he later heard that others called police to restrain the man.
“If police had been dispatched because of harassment, I would have been investigated immediately,” he said. “There is absolutely no such fact.”
Jang said that messages exchanged among those present the following day indicated the disturbance had resulted from the accuser’s boyfriend — an aide to a People Power Party district mayor — rather than from any misconduct on his part. He also claimed the woman was later confined and assaulted by her boyfriend, and that colleagues at the time viewed her as a victim of dating violence.
Jang further questioned the timing of the accusation, noting that the complaint was filed more than a year after the incident. He argued that if the allegation had been raised at the time, investigators would likely have pursued it more aggressively and maintained that the reason for the delayed filing should be clarified through the ongoing investigation.
The lawmaker said he plans to file a criminal complaint against the accuser's boyfriend as well.
He plans to bring a case to the Press Arbitration Commission against TV Chosun for what he called “reckless reporting.” He also plans legal action against the Dong-A Ilbo, which reported that the accuser received psychological treatment related to the incident.
“The essence of this case is the dating violence committed by the accuser’s boyfriend, his verbal abuse and threats toward a female aide present and the illegal footage he secretly recorded,” Jang said.
When asked whether he would resign from party posts — including his role as head of the Democratic Party Seoul chapter — while the party’s ethics committee reviews the allegations, Jang answered, “No.”
Police said they are reviewing the complaint and video evidence as part of an ongoing investigation.
mkjung@heraldcorp.com
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