SEOUL \u2013 A former provincial governor accused of sexual abuse in one of South Korea\u2019s most high-profile cases inspired by the \u201cMeToo\u201d movement was\u2026<\/b>
\nSEOUL \u2013 A former provincial governor accused of sexual abuse in one of South Korea\u2019s most high-profile cases inspired by the \u201cMeToo\u201d movement was found not guilty by a Seoul district court on Tuesday.
An Hee-jung was a rising star in South Korea\u2019s ruling party before he quit his post in March, just hours after an aide accused him of repeated sexual assault.
Police opened an investigation into the allegations, as the snowballing #MeToo movement rattled the country\u2019s political establishment.
\u201cI am sorry and ashamed, I have disappointed the citizens,\u201d An apologized to the public after the verdict on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim Ji-eun, An\u2019s former assistant, had gone on national TV to accuse him of sexually harassing and repeatedly assaulting her.
An\u2019s office initially claimed that the sex was consensual, but just a few hours after the TV interview was aired, An took to Facebook to announce he planned to resign as governor and retire from political life.
The ruling Democratic Party quickly moved to expel An from the party.
An was indicted in April on charges of abusing his authority and forcing sexual intercourse on Kim multiple times from July 2017 to February 2018.
In finding An not guilty, the court said on Tuesday that the case was \u201cbetween two adults with normal judgment\u201d and that \u201cthe evidence presented by the prosecution is insufficient to substantiate the charges that there were forced assaults that infringed on the victim\u2019s sexual freedom.\u201d
Rights groups criticized the ruling, and Kim Ji-eun said in a statement she will \u201clive on and fight until the authoritative sexual assaults by powerful people can be judged rightfully by the law\u201d.
The court said it had strictly interpreted existing laws, and that it would be up to policy makers to decide whether to enact laws that would \u201cpenalize sexual intercourse as rape when there was no explicit and proactive consent\u201d.
An became an unexpected challenger to President Moon Jae-in during last year\u2019s presidential primaries, and his strong showing raised speculation he could emerge as a future leader.
An was among a number high-profile political, entertainment, and religious figures ensnared in South Korea\u2019s growing \u201c#MeToo\u201d campaign against sexual harassment and assault.<\/p>\n