Independent lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae has been charged with sexual assault against a female aide.
The Southern District Prosecutors' Office in Seoul announced on October 30 that Jang has been indicted without detention on charges of quasi-coercive sexual assault and violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (confidentiality). This comes more than two years after the alleged incident.
Jang is accused of making inappropriate physical contact with aide A at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in October 2024.
In response, Jang has denied the allegations and filed a counterclaim against A for false accusations. However, police determined that there was sufficient evidence to support the sexual assault charges against him. The police investigation review committee also rejected Jang's claims of innocence.
During a Q&A session with reporters, Jang was also charged with secondary victimization for partially revealing A's identity as a legislative aide.
On April 6 of this year, the Central District Prosecutors' Office in Seoul transferred the case to the Southern District Prosecutors' Office due to jurisdictional reasons. The Southern District Prosecutors' Office conducted investigations, including questioning B, A's partner, as a witness in June. On October 20, they interviewed Jang as part of the process to determine whether to request supplementary investigations from the police.
A spokesperson for the Southern District Prosecutors' Office stated, "After receiving the case from the Central District Prosecutors' Office, we thoroughly investigated the parties involved based on police investigation records, analyzed videos recorded by eyewitnesses, and secured additional evidence such as recorded phone calls and KakaoTalk conversations before deciding to indict."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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