Lawmaker Chung Mong-joon

Chung touched the face of the MBC TV reporter, identified only by her family name Kim, while answering her questions on a street in Sadang 3-dong in Dongjak district on Wednesday afternoon. Kim immediately told Chung that she felt she was being sexually harassed.

Chung admitted his mistake in a press release on Thursday. "When I was about to turn to climb down the stairs, I thought I was listening to a female reporter, whom I had never seen before, ask my opinion on a new town construction project. I tried to pat her on the shoulder while asking that we not discuss it, but unintentionally my hand touched her face."

Chung emphasized that his wife was standing beside him when it happened. He added, "Despite the fact that it was only an accident, I apologize to the reporter if I have caused her discomfort."

The MBC TV news bureau said Chung's press release was not good enough, saying his clarification failed to address what they feel he did wrong. The news bureau demanded Chung make a formal apology directly to the reporter and MBC.

With the incident snowballing into a larger controversy, Chung visited MBC on Thursday afternoon and delivered a formal apology. Meanwhile, opposition parties demanded Chung drop out of the race, calling the incident a "sexual harassment scandal."

In a commentary, Kim Jae-doo, vice spokesman of the United Democratic Party, demanded the GNP expel Chung from the party. He called the lawmaker's conduct especially "shameful" at a time when the nation is aggrieved over a recent string of child kidnappings and sex crimes.

Chung In-bong, legal adviser to the Liberty Forward Party, suggested a joint fact-finding team be organized among opposition parties. In a briefing, Lee Jeong-mi, spokeswoman of the Democratic Labor Party, demanded Chung drop out of the race and apologize to all the women and Korean people.

(englishnews@chosun.com )