hankyoreh

By Jung Dae-ha, Gwangju Correspondent

Members of the ruling Grand National Party’s (GNP) Human Rights Committee called for a police investigation of Gong Ji-young, author of the novel “The Crucible,” a roman a clef based on the sexual assault of students with disabilities at a Gwangju school.

Attorney Kim Yeon-ho of the GNP’s committee to investigate the Gwangju Inhwa School sexual assault incident and support the victims visited the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency on Thursday to request an investigation. Kim said that “citizens are agitated because of exaggerated depictions in the novel and film” and added, “Gong needs to be investigated because she is already engaging in political activities.”

Gong responded by indirectly disputing the charges on Twitter. In a message Thursday, she wrote, “Now the GNP has begun its plan to make me into a world-renowned author. Much appreciated.”

Cartoonist Gangpul also mocked the move, writing, “You are telling me the Grand National Party Human Rights Committee called for investigation because Gong Ji-young’s novel did not report the facts accurately? Do they even know what a novel is? Wow, this is hilarious. Ha ha ha ha ha ha.”

Park Chan-dong, executive committee chairman for a committee on measures to address the Inhwa School sexual abuse case, said Friday, “These are senseless remarks that are not worth responding officially to.”

“We decided it was best to leave them for Internet users to criticize,” Park added.

The Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency is reported to have declined to respond immediately to the GNP committee members’ demands.

A police official who attended the meeting with them said, “Most of the people there were silent, as though to say, ‘Why are they saying such things?’”

It also emerged that GNP Lawmaker Kim Jae-kyung, head of the party’s investigation committee, served as counsel for the perpetrators in a case of sexual assault against a student with disabilities that could be called the “Jinju Crucible” incident.

Prior to election as a National Assembly lawmaker, Kim defended the assailant in a 2000 sexual assault case against a female student with disabilities at Jinju Hyegwang School, a special institution for children with disabilities.

Gwon Chun-hyeon, 46, who assisted the victim at the time, said Friday, “We asked Lawmaker Kim to refrain on ethical grounds from defending the school teacher perpetrator, but he did not agree.”

Kim’s office said the case was not problematic because he approached the trial “without doing anything that would violate ethics as legal counsel.”

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