Cheong Wa Dae Says "Difficult to Confirm" Reports of Petition Alleging Sexual Harassment Against Kim Seung-won

Regarding the voluntary resignation of former Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won, Cheong Wa Dae stated today (September 19) that it is "difficult to confirm personnel-related matters," in response to media reports that a petition containing allegations including sexual harassment against Kim was recently delivered to the presidential office.

A Cheong Wa Dae official conveyed this position to the press on the same day.

Earlier this morning, the former nominee stepped down, stating that he "failed to meet the public's expectations."

He cited as his reason for stepping down that he "should not add even the smallest burden to the administration, which must complete reforms," but additional allegations have been raised against him in some political quarters.

Following his resignation press conference, Kim did not respond to questions from reporters asking, "Did you resign because new issues were raised this time?" and "Are there other allegations besides those already raised?"

Earlier, a media outlet reported that Kim's former aides delivered a petition to Cheong Wa Dae on September 17 via Senior Presidential Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Ik-pyo and others, detailing past sexual harassment allegations against Kim and attempts to cover them up, along with an additional drunk driving incident and other solicitations.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.