By Kim Jae-won
A series of sex scandals show one thing in common: Men in power caught for trying to act out a strong libido.
Former Vice Justice Minister Kim Hak-eui resigned following reports that he was at the center of secret orgies. He claimed he was innocent.
Police confirmed that he allegedly enjoyed collective sex parties with women hired by a construction broker.
A month ago, actor Park Si-hoo was accused of raping an aspiring actress after having a late-night drink together. Park admitted he had sex with the woman but argued that it was consensual.
Over the weekend, Rep. Shim Jae-chul of the ruling Saenuri Party was shamed after local media released a photo of him looking at pictures of nude women on his smartphone during a session of the National Assembly.
The four-term lawmaker initially made the excuse that he was just checking an e-mail sent to him, but was disgraced further as another media outlet released a photo that he was typing “nude” into his smartphone.
Experts say that powerful figures tend to have stronger libidos than ordinary people. They pointed out that numerous powerful figures were also in hot water over sex scandals in overseas countries, from former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former head of the International Monetary Fund, to former U.S. President Bill Clinton.
“According to Freud, power and sex have many common things. Seeking sex is another expression of pursuing power,” said Park Jin-seng, a psychiatrist who runs a clinic in southern Seoul.
Park also pointed out that influential leaders often misunderstand that they can take whatever they want when intoxicated with power.
“That is the moment when they reach out their hands to women. There are many examples of this from Emperor Qin Shi Huang to former President Park Chung-hee.”
Park said that powerful figures need to be more careful about sex because they are exposed to bigger temptation due to their resources ranging from money to power.
Feminist activists showed their anger against these sexual predators, condemning them for disrespecting women’s dignity.
“Sexual bribery is violence against women, as it treats them as products and toys and not human beings. I am very sorry to see that prosecutors who are supposed to protect women from such violence are involved in the crime,” said Jeong Chun-suk, head of the Korea Women’s Hot Line, in a column in a local newspaper Monday.