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Court bans documentary countering sex abuse claim against deceased ex-Seoul mayor

Sept. 20, 2023 - 21:55 By Yonhap
A poster for "First Defence," a documentary on the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (Trust Won-soon)

A Seoul court on Wednesday granted an injunction to ban a documentary film that raises doubts about sexual harassment allegations against former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, which led to his suicide in 2020.

The Seoul metropolitan government and lawyer Kim Jae-ryon representing the female victim filed the injunction on Aug. 1 seeking to prohibit the screening of the documentary titled "First Defense."

The Seoul Southern District Court accepted the request, saying it is difficult to ascertain the movie's primary content as truthful and that it seriously harms the honor of the victim.

The production committee had originally planned to release the movie in theaters in July.

With the court ruling, the film's screening, sale and distribution are all prohibited.

Park died by an apparent suicide in July 2020 after his former secretary filed a complaint the previous month claiming the third-term Seoul mayor had been sexually harassing her since 2017.

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) later accepted her claim. Park's wife filed a complaint to cancel the NHRCK's decision, but it was dismissed by the Seoul Administrative Court in November last year. (Yonhap)