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South Korea activist accuses lawyer in Seoul mayor case of lying

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was found dead last month, is at the center of a probe following allegations of sexual harassment, filed the day before. Park's defenders say he is being charged falsely. Photo courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who was found dead last month, is at the center of a probe following allegations of sexual harassment, filed the day before. Park's defenders say he is being charged falsely. Photo courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The South Korean lawyer representing the woman accusing former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment is herself being charged with making false allegations.

Shin Seung-mok, the head of a group called People's Solidarity in the Liquidation of Long-Held Assets, said Tuesday he has filed a complaint with the National Police Agency against attorney Kim Jae-ryun, who has made public her client's testimonies against Park, Yonhap reported.

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Shin said Kim was "playing the media" in order to bring attention to alleged sex crimes with "insufficient evidence."

Shin also said Kim's allegations against the former Seoul mayor were exaggerated. Last month, Kim had said Park had sent her client lewd messages and photos of him only wearing his undergarments. According to Shin, Park's photos were of him in his undershirt, not his undergarments, and that the photos were also sent to other employees and did not cause issues.

"This is a case of false accusation and instigating false accusations on the part of lawyer Kim, because even without an ample amount of evidence, she convinced the accuser [to file a complaint with the police] and has been distorting [the truth] to make it appear that Park had continuously carried out sexual harassment," said Shin, according to local paper JoongAng Daily.

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Shin is filing his complaint with the police as the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is expected to "cross-examine" the plaintiff, who remains unidentified, along with her former colleagues at the mayor's office. The woman had said her co-workers ignored her pleas for help. Co-workers have denied the woman went ignored, according to the JoongAng.

Seoul police has also agreed to cancel forensic analysis of Park's mobile phone, according to Money Today last week.

The decision to suspend forensics was made upon the request of Park's surviving family. Kim and other lawyers have protested the decision but the order has not been reversed, according to local press reports.

Park's body was found in northern Seoul on July 9 following an hours-long search involving police. He had left behind a note for his family.

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