#METOO/KMT pledges to probe sexual harassment allegation against its lawmaker

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Taiwan's main opposition party Kuomintang (KMT) pledged on late Saturday to investigate an allegation made against former Hualien County chief Fu Kun-chi (傅崐萁), an incumbent KMT lawmaker, after a former reporter accused Fu of sexual harassment back in 2014.

In a statement, the KMT said "there is no room for ambiguity" as the party would immediately launch an internal investigation over the accusation made against Fu, adding that the KMT would defend equal rights among different genders and protect women's rights.

Mirror Fiction General Manager Tung Cheng-yu (董成瑜), a retired senior reporter and screenwriter who worked at Next Magazine, wrote in a Facebook post on Saturday that a pro-KMT county magistrate who now serves as a member of the Legislative Yuan, "grabbed her head and kissed her" during a banquet attended by Next Magazine senior managers back in 2014.

Tung said she immediately stood up and protested before leaving the scene. She later named the person she was accusing as Fu in a follow-up Facebook post.

Fu has refuted the allegation raised by Tung. In a statement released Saturday night, the 61-year-old lawmaker said he "has never sexually harassed any female or subordinate."

"I am a family man and have never had any love scandal, nor did I meet privately with females during my 20-year political career," Fu said.

The former Hualien County magistrate said he has full respect for gender equality and urged his accuser to file a lawsuit if she believes she was indeed sexually harassed by him.

Fu served as Hualien County magistrate from 2009 to 2018 before being relieved from his job to serve 2 years and 10 months in prison for stock manipulation.

This latest case surfaced following a series of similar sexual harassment or assault allegations involving current and former Democratic Progressive Party members, with former party employees also alleging their superiors had neglected to help them and were involved in coverups.

DPP leaders have apologized and promised to launch measures to prevent new cases from occurring again.

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