Yoon Chang-jung
{{short description|South Korean journalist and official (born 1956)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox Korean name/auto
|hangul=%윤창중
|hanja=尹昶重
}}
Yoon Chang-jung ({{Korean|hangul=윤창중|hanja=尹昶重}}; born July 17, 1956) is a South Korean journalist and official. He briefly served as the press spokesman for Korean president Park Geun-hye in early 2013, and was fired following a sexual assault on a Korean American female intern at the South Korean Embassy in the U.S. in May 2013.{{cite web|last=Ser |first=Myo-ja |url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2971401&cloc=joongangdaily%7Chome%7Ctop |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130629141302/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2971401&cloc=joongangdaily%7Chome%7Ctop |url-status=usurped |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |title=Blue House spokesman flees U.S. in sex scandal |publisher=JoongAng Ilbo |date=2012-05-11 |access-date=2013-05-11}}{{cite web|last=Woo |first=Jaeyeon |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2013/05/10/south-koreas-president-fires-press-spokesman/ |title=South Korea's President Fires Press Spokesman Yoon Chang-jung - Korea Real Time - WSJ |publisher=Blogs.wsj.com |date=2012-04-17 |access-date=2013-05-10}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rjkoehler.com/2013/05/10/blue-house-spokesman-sacked-suspected-of-sexual-assault-in-u-s/ |title=Blue House Spokesman Sacked, Suspected of Sexual Assault in U.S |publisher=Rjkoehler.com |access-date=2013-05-10 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130607015025/http://www.rjkoehler.com/2013/05/10/blue-house-spokesman-sacked-suspected-of-sexual-assault-in-u-s/ |archive-date=June 7, 2013 }}{{cite web|author=Adam Taylor |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/park-geun-hye-fires-yoon-chang-jung-2013-5 |title=Park Geun-hye Fires Yoon Chang-jung |publisher=Business Insider |date=2013-05-01 |access-date=2013-05-10}}{{cite web|author= |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130510000008 |title=Park sacks spokesman Yoon-The Korea Herald | date=10 May 2013 |publisher=The Korea Herald |access-date=2013-05-10}} This event is said to "have overshadowed President Park's first visit to the US".
Yoon is a 1982 Korea University alumnus{{cite web|url=http://news1.kr/articles/946541 |title=[프로필] 윤창중 대통령 당선인 수석 대변인 |publisher=News1 |date=2012-12-24 |access-date=2013-05-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311220346/http://news1.kr/articles/946541 |archive-date=March 11, 2013}} who joined the Park election team in 2012. becoming the Blue House spokesman on February 24, 2013. He has been described as a "conservative columnist{{nbsp}}... disliked by many progressives".{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/10/youn-chang-jung-south-korea-spokesman-fired_n_3252176.html |title=Yoon Chang Jung, South Korean President's Spokesman, Fired After 'Disgraceful Incident' In U.S |publisher=Huffingtonpost.com |access-date=2013-05-13}}
Sexual assault incident
South Korean President Park Geun-hye visited the United States between May 5 and 9, with Yoon accompanying Park as her chief spokesman.{{cite web |url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia-pacific/2013/05/201351345013698823.html |title=S Korea president sorry for 'unsavoury' act |publisher=Aljazeera |date=2013-05-13 |access-date=2013-05-13}}
The sexual assault, or sexual harassment in question, consisted of groping the intern, and later calling her up to his room and answering the door either naked or in underwear (sources vary); those events occurred on May 7.{{cite web|url=http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=100&cid=942487&iid=23277232&oid=001&aid=0006255428&ptype=011 |script-title=ko:"윤창중, 靑진술서 '엉덩이 터치·본인 노팬티' 시인" |language=ko|publisher=Naver News |access-date=2013-05-13}} On May 8, 2013, the intern reported those events to the American police. Yoon escaped to Seoul after the alleged assault.{{cite web |url=http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_international/586977.html |title=Blue House spokesperson could be tried for sexual assault |publisher=Hankyoreh |date=May 11, 2013 |access-date=2013-05-13}} Kwak Sang-do, Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, said the order for Yoon to return "didn't conflict with any South Korean or US laws," and that "Yoon's return from the US was a policy decision by the Blue House, and because he was only under indictment, it was not a criminal flight from justice for him to return to South Korea."{{cite web |url=http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/587151.html |title=Yoon Chang-jung ordered to be kept away from president's entourage in US |publisher=Hankyoreh |date=2013-05-13 |access-date=2013-05-13}}
Yoon apologized for his actions on May 11, 2013.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-22503883 |title=BBC News - South Korea apology for Yoon Chang-jung US sex scandal |work=BBC News |date=May 12, 2013 |access-date=2013-05-13}}
On May 12, 2013, Present Park Geun-hye fired spokesman Yoon Chang-jung in the middle of her trip to the United States after he was accused of sexually assaulting a Korean American female intern from the Washington, D.C. Embassy of South Korea.{{cite news|title='성추행 의혹' 윤창중 靑 대변인 전격 경질|url=http://www.obsnews.co.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=711092|access-date=May 12, 2013|newspaper=obsnews}} President Park and her office have apologized for Yoon actions on Monday.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2013/05/13/0200000000AEN20130513002953315.HTML |title=(3rd LD) Park apologizes over alleged sexual misconduct by ex-spokesman |language=ko|publisher=Yonhap News Agency |access-date=2013-05-13}}
23 women lawmakers of the Democratic Party in South Korea condemned Yoon for having returned to South Korea in a rush to avoid a U.S. police investigation into his alleged sexual assault and criticized the Blue House for trying to cover up the scandal. The Democratic Party has demanded the resignation of a number of Blue House officials.{{cite web|url=http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=100&cid=942487&iid=46108632&oid=003&aid=0005143660&ptype=011 |script-title=ko:'윤창중 스캔들' 靑 줄사퇴로 이어지나 |language=ko|publisher=Naver News |access-date=2013-05-13}} It has also called for a more thorough investigation.{{cite web|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/news/2013/05/13/0200000000AEN20130513005400315.HTML |title=Ruling party calls for thorough probe into sex scandal |language=ko|publisher=Yonhap News Agency |access-date=2013-05-13}} Due to those allegations and demands, Ms. Park’s senior presidential press secretary and Mr. Yoon’s immediate supervisor,{{cite web|last=CHOE |first= SANG-HUN |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/11/world/asia/spokesman-for-south-korean-leader-quits.html?_r=0 |title=Blue House spokesman flees U.S. in sex scandal |work=New York Times |date=May 10, 2013 |access-date=2013-05-12}} Lee Nam-ki, who is said to have encouraged Yoon to return to South Korea as soon as possible to avoid being arrested by U.S. law enforcement, declared that he is willing to resign.{{cite web|url=http://news.naver.com/main/hotissue/read.nhn?mid=hot&sid1=100&cid=942487&iid=522173&oid=008&aid=0003046577&ptype=011 |script-title=ko:[전문]허태열 비서실장, 윤창중 파문 관련 대국민 사과문 |language=ko|publisher=Naver News |access-date=2013-05-13}} On May 10, the Democratic Party stated that the Washington scandal was a "foreseeable tragedy" because of Park’s refusal to heed her critics.
References
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Category:South Korean journalists