Pyeongtaek Mayor Ordered to Pay Damages

The Seoul High Court ordered Wednesday the mayor of Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to pay 50 million won (44,700 U.S. dollars) in damages to a former city council member.

Mayor Song Myeong-ho had sued former City Council Member Lee Ik-jae for mentioning his alleged sexual harassment committed at a karaoke bar in a 2005 visit to Japan.

The court’s ruling was partially in favor of Lee, unlike the previous ruling of a lower court.

“Song was found to have used a microphone to mimic the male genital and made disparaging comments against women to female participants at a karaoke bar in Aomori, Japan in 2005,” the ruling said.