A ruling party lawmaker Sunday denied an allegation that he sexually assaulted a 40-year-old woman in Daegu, some 300 kilometers southeast of Seoul, last month.

In a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency, the lawmaker repudiated the claim, saying that he was cleared of the charges and he didn‘t harm the woman. 

The woman, whose name was withheld, claimed the Saenuri lawmaker took her clothes off against her will and sexually assaulted her at a hotel. The case was reported to the police by the woman late last month. Investigators were looking into the case, securing phone records between the two and the footage of surveillance cameras showing the two entering the hotel on June 13.

The woman, however, has reportedly changed her statements, saying that she didn‘t try to stop him with all her strength. She said she doesn’t want him to be prosecuted, according to reports.

Despite the lawmaker’s claims, the police said he had not been cleared of the charges and they would decide whether to question the two later on.

“We are handling the matter very carefully,” said an official at the Daegu Police Agency.

By Cho Chung-un (christory@heraldcorp.com)