Why Did the Democratic Party Expel Kim Hee-soo but Embrace Ahn Hee-jung? A Deep Dive into Selective Justice

The Democratic Party of Korea expelled Kim Hee-soo, the governor of Jindo County, within five days of his remarks about importing virgins from Sri Lanka and Vietnam. However, they have taken no action against former South Chungcheong Governor Ahn Hee-jung, a perpetrator of sexual violence against his secretary, or the politicians who cheered for him.

Women’s rights groups have criticized this contradictory stance, calling for an end to selective justice that condones violence against women based on political calculations.

The Korea Women’s Hotline issued a statement on the 10th, criticizing the Democratic Party’s view of women’s issues. They questioned whether violence against women is a matter of human rights or merely an area of “selective justice” that can be covered up or cut out depending on political expediency.

This statement was prompted by the Democratic Party’s recent contrasting attitudes towards politicians involved in violence against women and sexual assault cases.

On the 8th, the Democratic Party unanimously expelled Kim Hee-soo from the party in a closed supreme council meeting, just five days after his comments about importing virgins from Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

In contrast, they have taken no action against former Governor Ahn, who sexually assaulted his secretary, or those who cheered for him at a recent political event. On the 7th, Ahn made an appearance at a book launch for Buyeo County Mayor Park Jung-hyun. This was his first political event in eight years since the sexual assault incident, leading some to interpret it as an attempt to support his close associate, Mayor Park.

At the event, Congressman Park Beom-kye warmly welcomed Ahn, saying, “It’s truly wonderful to see our comrade Ahn Hee-jung after such a long time, looking healthy.” Mayor Park also expressed gratitude to Ahn, saying he was moved to tears.

The women’s group noted that it has been eight years since Kim Ji-eun, the victim of Ahn’s sexual assault, came forward with her #MeToo allegation. While acknowledging that the victim’s struggle and public solidarity have pushed society to reject sexual violence, they pointed out that the Democratic Party’s actions show that it is betraying its own principles as a major political party responsible for upholding these values.

The group further criticized the attitudes of Democratic Party members present at the event, stating, “What’s even more shocking is the behavior of invoking the power and political influence that enabled sexual violence, denied the facts, and led to the organized criticism of the victim. Is this befitting of a major political party?”

While condemning Governor Kim’s remarks for their blatant objectification of women as tools for population production and racist perceptions of immigrant women, the group questioned why the party immediately expelled him for his comments but remains silent on the actions of party members who show no reflection on sexual violence committed through abuse of power.

They sharply criticized the party, saying, “Gender equality values that change like elastic depending on the situation, individual, or personal relationships are nothing but deception.”

The group demanded that the Democratic Party issue stern warnings to its members and local leaders who repeat the behavior that silenced sexual assault victims, and establish a clear policy of not condoning such actions.

They emphasized, “The Democratic Party must stop its political calculations and show responsible behavior befitting a major political party.”

Earlier, on the 8th, Kim Ji-eun, the victim of Ahn’s sexual assault, stated in a written interview with Pressian, “Ahn is a person clearly recognized by the court as having committed a power-based sexual crime. This fact doesn’t change with time.” She expressed her position that he should not reappear in politics or exert influence.

Kim urged that this issue not be reduced to a matter of mere “personal relationships.” She pointed out that the real problem lies in the structure where perpetrators easily return while victims cannot go back to their normal lives. She called for continued attention from the political sphere to ensure that sex offenders are not treated leniently and that perpetrators who do not sincerely apologize cannot return to public life as if nothing happened.