Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson resigns amid harassment scandal: 'I had no choice'
Published: 04 Sep. 2025, 16:07
Updated: 04 Sep. 2025, 16:45
![Splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson Kang Mi-jung holds a news conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 4 to announce her departure from the party over its handling of a sexual misconduct case. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/04/d2b3a0bb-9a25-4ff9-a5a4-f0fd2afcc638.jpg)
Splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson Kang Mi-jung holds a news conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 4 to announce her departure from the party over its handling of a sexual misconduct case. [YONHAP]
The fallout from a sexual misconduct scandal within the splinter Rebuilding Korea Party intensified Thursday as party spokesperson Kang Mi-jung announced her departure, accusing leadership of ignoring her calls for accountability.
Kang held a press conference at the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon and said she could no longer remain with the party.
“I joined the Rebuilding Korea Party with the belief that it would be enough for me to be used righteously in the fight against entrenched power,” she said. “But what I saw instead was sexual harassment, assault and bullying from those I trusted as comrades. I waited for the party to right itself, but I can no longer wait.”
The scandal first surfaced in April when a party official filed a police complaint accusing a senior party member of sexual harassment.
In a June briefing, the party said two individuals identified as perpetrators had been expelled by its ethics committee and that acting party leader Kim Sun-min had personally apologized to the accuser. But the accuser criticized the measures as inadequate and continued to call out the party leadership for its handling of the case.
“At the center of the party’s inaction was the Sejong City chair, who had called for reform in response to the assault and bullying,” said Kang. “He was expelled on Sept. 1, and three operating committee members were disciplined.”
“There was also an incident in which a party official assaulted a secretary who had been assisting the Women’s Committee with this matter,” she continued. “These are the reasons I had no choice but to break my silence.”
![Splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson Kang Mi-jung holds a news conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 4 to announce her departure from the party over its handling of a sexual misconduct case. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/04/81e49e4f-caaf-405a-a208-9a6faf25c3d5.jpg)
Splinter liberal Rebuilding Korea Party spokesperson Kang Mi-jung holds a news conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Sept. 4 to announce her departure from the party over its handling of a sexual misconduct case. [YONHAP]
The Rebuilding Korea Party issued a seven-page statement refuting Kang’s claims and expressing regret for what it called “conflicting statements.”
“We completed all relevant procedures in accordance with the party charter and fully accepted the victim’s requests,” the party said. “An external agency was commissioned to handle the investigation as requested by the victim.”
The party added that it had approved financial support for the victim's psychological counseling and said that Kang had received her monthly salary consistently since May 1.
“The appropriateness of the party’s actions has already been assessed by outside experts,” said the party’s chief spokesperson, Yoon Jae-kwan, following a Supreme Council meeting. “We urge the public to refer to their evaluation. It is unfortunate that claims not grounded in objective facts continue to be made.”
![Cho Kuk, head of the Institute for Policy Innovation at the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks during an event for party members in Gochang County, North Jeolla, on Aug. 27. [REBUILDING KOREA PARTY]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/04/99e024a3-19c7-416b-84e9-a194f8955cc1.jpg)
Cho Kuk, head of the Institute for Policy Innovation at the minor liberal Rebuilding Korea Party, speaks during an event for party members in Gochang County, North Jeolla, on Aug. 27. [REBUILDING KOREA PARTY]
"There have been many questions about whether the expelled individuals have returned to the party," said Yoon, addressing speculation about whether the perpetrators might return. "But the ethics committee's decision to expel them was final, and that decision was upheld on appeal, making their return impossible."
The controversy escalated further after remarks from Choe Kang-wook, a former liberal Democratic Party (DP) lawmaker and current head of the party’s training institute, were brought to light on Thursday.
During a Rebuilding Korea Party event in Daejeon on Sunday, Choe commented, “Honestly, is this really a matter of life and death?
“Did they rape several female prosecutors like Han Dong-hoon’s brother-in-law?” continued Choe. “I don’t know. Before getting into a fight, it would be good to think about how much you actually know and whether this is truly a fight worth having.”
![Former Democratic Party Rep. Choe Kang-wook delivers a speech following the final verdict on his case by the Supreme Court in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/04/6a651fa2-b258-4051-b811-86d86c0b593e.jpg)
Former Democratic Party Rep. Choe Kang-wook delivers a speech following the final verdict on his case by the Supreme Court in Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]
Choe lost his parliamentary seat in 2023 after the Supreme Court convicted him of issuing a falsified internship certificate for the son of former Rebuilding Korea Party leader Cho Kuk and handed him a suspended sentence.
He was granted a special Liberation Day pardon last month under the Lee Jae Myung administration's first round of amnesties. Following the pardon, Choe was appointed head of the DP's education and training institute by party chairman Rep. Jung Chung-rae.
Jung ordered an ethics audit into Choe on Thursday for the former representative's comments.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KANG BO-HYUN [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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