23 referred to prosecution over online attacks on Gov. An’s former secretary

The police plan to refer 23 people to the prosecution for posting malicious online comments about the former secretary of An Hee-jung, a former governor of South Chungcheong Province, who accused the ex-governor of sexual assault but lost her case in a controversial verdict in August.

According to the cybercrimes department at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Saturday, two of An’s former aides were referred to the Seoul Central District Court for indictment on charges of online defamation and insult. A further 21 people will be referred to the prosecution early this week to face similar charges, the police said.

Police say the online commenters insulted and defamed Kim Ji-eun, who had accused An of sexual assault through abuse of his authority. One of An’s former aides was found to have written some 1,000 comments on news articles targeting Kim in a way that police deemed malicious. The other ex-aide administered a Facebook group for An supporters and posted content that was deemed an attack on Kim.

But police said they had found no evidence that the commenters were working together as part of an organized effort.

Kim publicly accused An of sexual assault during a live TV interview in March, saying the assaults had taken place on four occasions while she worked as his secretary from 2017 to February this year.

An was charged with five counts of committing an “indecent act by compulsion,” four counts of “sexual abuse by occupational authority” and one count of committing an “indecent act through abuse of occupational authority.”

An pleaded not guilty to all charges, saying his extramarital relationship with Kim was of a consensual, romantic nature.

The prosecutors requested four years in prison for An, but the court acquitted him in August, citing insufficient evidence and inconsistencies in Kim’s testimony.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)