Former provincial Gov. An Hee-jung will not be coming to court for a hearing set to decide whether he should be arrested for sexual offense charges, prosecution and court officials said Monday.
The Seoul Western District Court was scheduled for an arraignment hearing on the former chief of South Chungcheong Province at 2 p.m. Prosecutors filed for an arrest warrant Friday on charges of sexual intercourse and harassment by abuse of occupational authority.
The 54-year-old politician is accused of sexually assaulting his former secretary four times during overseas business trips and in Seoul.
(Yonhap)
An submitted an explanatory statement to the court, saying he made the decision as a way of repenting for the disappointment and frustration he has led the public to feel.
"My client thinks he explained all he could to the prosecution during the interrogations," his lawyer said. "He no longer wants to cause any more trouble for the public and make them weary of news about him."
The lawyer also said An hopes the court will deliver a decision based on fair and objective grounds.
The court will likely decide whether to proceed with the hearing without his presence or review the legality of the arrest only by examining documents.
The disgraced liberal politician, once billed as a potential presidential candidate, resigned as governor in the wake of the scandal.
The secretary, Kim Ji-eun, made a revelation in a TV news interview early this month and filed a complaint with the prosecution the next day.
An has denied the charges and claimed the relationship was consensual.
If convicted, he could face up to five years in prison or a 15 million-won ($13,000) fine. (Yonhap)
