SEOUL – A former provincial governor accused of sexual abuse in one of South Korea’s most high-profile cases inspired by the “MeToo” movement was…
SEOUL – A former provincial governor accused of sexual abuse in one of South Korea’s most high-profile cases inspired by the “MeToo” movement was found not guilty by a Seoul district court on Tuesday.
An Hee-jung was a rising star in South Korea’s 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’s political establishment.
“I am sorry and ashamed, I have disappointed the citizens,” An apologized to the public after the verdict on Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported.
Kim Ji-eun, An’s former assistant, had gone on national TV to accuse him of sexually harassing and repeatedly assaulting her.
An’s 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.
