Democratic Party candidate Park Ji-won, who is running in the National Assembly by-election for Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan in North Jeolla Province, faced allegations of receiving sex services overseas, prompting his camp to immediately denounce the claims as "groundless" and announce plans for a strong response.
Park issued a statement Wednesday saying, "It is true that I visited the Philippines in June 2018 to attend a Beopsarang Cebu workshop." However, he rebutted, "The remaining claims, including the sex bribery allegations, are entirely untrue."
He further emphasized, "I will take firm legal action against acts of spreading false information ahead of the election to disrupt the electoral process." In phone interviews with some media outlets, he reportedly explained that he "does not remember at all" regarding the related claims.
The allegations were raised through a press conference held at the press room of the North Jeolla Provincial Council that day. A person identified as A, who introduced himself as a member of the Jeonju Youth Subcommittee of Beopsarang, an organization under the Ministry of Justice, said, "I came forward to raise questions about the morality and qualifications for public office of candidate Park, who has run as a National Assembly candidate."
A claimed that during the Beopsarang Jeonju Youth Subcommittee's Cebu workshop in the Philippines in June 2018, Park and another committee member visited a local entertainment establishment after the official schedule. He added, "In that process, sex services from women were provided, and I covered the related costs."
He also claimed, "Another committee member who was with us at the time asked me to pay, saying 'Park appears to want additional services, so please settle the payment.'" He continued, "I then left Park behind and returned to the lodging first, and we met again the next morning."
A said, "It is a serious problem for a figure affiliated with an organization that emphasizes youth guidance and law-abiding spirit to engage in inappropriate behavior overseas," adding, "He must clarify his position responsibly before the residents of Gunsan, Gimje, and Buan, and the public."
With the allegations emerging just over a week before the local elections and by-elections, they are emerging as a variable in the regional election landscape.
