Independent lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae sent to trial over alleged sexual harassment of female aide, two years after incident

[Financial News] Independent lawmaker Jang Kyung-tae, who has faced allegations of sexually harassing a female aide, has been sent to trial.
According to legal circles on the 30th, the Women and Children Crime Division of the Seoul Southern District Prosecution Office, headed by Chief Prosecutor Lee Ju-hyeon, indicted Jang without detention that day on charges including quasi-indecent assault and violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (confidentiality).
Jang is accused of inappropriately touching A, an aide in another lawmaker’s office, at a restaurant in Yeouido, Seoul, in October 2024.
He is also accused of causing secondary victimization by revealing A’s status as an aide while answering questions from reporters.
The Prosecution Office took over the case from the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office on April 6, reviewed police investigation records and questioned people involved in the case.
The Prosecution Office said it decided to indict after conducting a supplementary investigation and legal review, including analyzing footage recorded by an eyewitness at the scene and additionally obtaining related call recordings and KakaoTalk chat records.
The Prosecution Office questioned A’s partner, B, as a witness last June, and also met with Jang on the 20th of this month while deciding whether to indict him.
Earlier, Jang denied the allegations and filed a countersuit against A on December 2 last year, accusing A of making a false accusation. He later requested a review by the Police Investigation Review Committee on March 9. On the 19th of the same month, the committee recommended referring the quasi-indecent assault charge to prosecutors, and recommended referring the charge of violating the Sexual Violence Punishment Act (confidentiality) after a supplementary investigation. Police referred Jang to prosecutors on both charges on the 27th of the same month.
Jang left the Democratic Party of Korea on March 20, the day after the results of the Investigation Review Committee’s review were announced.


[email protected] Seong-hyun Park Reporter