SEOUL- President Moon Jae-in of South Korea has called for police to investigate a growing number of sexual abuse claims as the #MeToo campaign grows in numbers, implicating business figures, high-profile figures and religious leaders.
The #Metoo movement has shaken the male dominated leadership in South Korea, as the conversation of sexual misconduct has long been deemed too sensitive to discuss.
According to the World Economic Forum the country ranks 118 out of 144 for gender equality in 2017.
Former deputy minister for criminal affairs at the Justice Ministry, Ahn Tae-geun who is alleged to have groped a staffer in 2010 has ignite the movement to move forward in South Korea.
Tae-guen has said he will, ” “faithfully cooperate” with prosecutors investigating the claim.
“Gender violence is an issue of a social structure that allows the powerful to sexually oppress or easily wield violence against the weak,” Moon said at a meeting with aides. “I applaud those who had the courage to tell their stories.”
#MeToo movement begun after claims surfaced that Hollywood film producer mogul Harvey Weinstein was accused of sexual misconduct and assault of dozens of women.
The accusations triggered many in the industry to share their stories of other powerful men misusing their power, and led to many others sharing their stories of many industries across the globe, where women and men have accused men in leadership of sexually assaulting them or have experienced sexual misconduct.
Many South Korean entertainers have been forced to respond to allegations of misconduct. The likes of Lee Yoon-taek is one of them, a artistic director of one of South Korea’s top theater groups. He publicly apologised for harassing young actresses but denied any allegations of rape.
Photo Credit- qz.com
Leave a Reply