‘I have disappointed many. I will make efforts to be born again’
A former South Korean presidential contender was cleared of all charges Tuesday in a case stemming from allegations he raped a female aide on several occasions.
Ahn Hee-jung – who before the scandal was widely seen as a strong contender to replace President Moon Jae-in when his term ends in 2022 – was acquitted of forced sexual abuse, sexual intercourse by abuse of authority, and other charges by the Seoul Western District Court.
“I am sorry and I am so ashamed,” Ahn said on the courthouse steps.
“I have disappointed many. I will make efforts to be born again.”
Ahn is a former governor of South Chungcheong province and the case was by far the highest-profile in the country’s growing #MeToo movement.
Prosecutors opened an investigation after Ahn’s aide Kim Ji-eun said in a television interview earlier this year that he had raped her four times after she was hired.
