Seoul: The minor Rebuilding Korea Party has been embroiled in an intensifying sexual misconduct scandal, prompting an apology by the party's acting leader a day after its spokesperson quit in protest of the leadership's poor handling of the case. Kim Sun-min, the party's acting leader, made the apology during a press conference at the National Assembly, vowing to "make every effort until full recovery for the victims is achieved." She extended an apology to both the public and party members affected by the scandal.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the party's formal apology followed the resignation of its spokesperson, Kang Mi-jeong, who criticized the party's tepid response to handling "sexual harassment, sexual assault and bullying" cases involving senior officials. Kang expressed disappointment, having hoped that the party would "set things right" after former Justice Minister Cho Kuk's release from prison. Cho, who was no longer a party member at the time, explained his lack of involvement in the disciplinary process, stating that intervening might have undermined the party's procedures.
Around 10 party members are believed to be victims involved in the scandal, as reported by Kang. The controversy began in April when a senior official was sued for allegedly sexually assaulting a colleague, while another faced accusations of sexual harassment and workplace bullying. The party responded by expelling the former official and suspending the latter's membership for a year. However, officials advocating for a "victim-centered approach" or assisting in workplace bullying cases faced retaliation, including expulsion or pay cuts, according to an adviser to the party's women's committee.
Choe Kang-wook, head of the ruling Democratic Party's (DP) education and training institute, exacerbated the situation by downplaying the scandal as a "trivial matter." In response, DP leader Jung Chung-rae ordered an emergency fact-finding probe by the party's ethics committee into Choe's comments.
Both Cho and Choe were recently granted special pardons by President Lee Jae Myung on the occasion of Liberation Day. Cho, who once led the Rebuilding Korea Party and served as justice minister in 2019, had been serving a two-year prison sentence for academic fraud and unlawful interference with a government inspection. Following his reinstatement, Cho now heads the party's policy think tank, though the party continues to face turmoil and declining public approval.