News

Danish foreign minister apologises for sleeping with 15-year-old girl in 2008

While there was nothing illegal about the encounter, Jeppe Kofod was 34 at the time and in a position of authority at the party of which the girl was a youth member

For many internationals living in Denmark, the news that the foreign minister, Jeppe Kofod, slept with a 15-year-old girl in 2008 when he was 34 will initially be shocking. 

After all, the age-of-consent might be 15 in Denmark, but it is 16 in many countries. The age difference is also generally frowned upon. At the age of 34, popular wisdom suggests Kofod should have divided his age by two and added seven, and realised that 15 is a long way short of 24. 

And given his position of authority at the time as the Socialdemokratiet spokesperson for foreign affairs, there are strong grounds to claim this was a case of #MeToo – particularly as Denmark would appear to be having its moment almost three years after the Harvey Weinstein revelations exploded in October 2017.

You do realise we’ve seen ‘Borgen’!
But after digesting the facts, many internationals will start to realise the whole affair is beginning to look like an episode of ‘Borgen’. 

Birgitte Nyborg has nodded her head and Kasper Juul has had a word with his cronies in the media. An old story is revamped and pressure is mounting on a politician to resign – with Radikale and Alternativet both calling the PM’s decision to appoint him as foreign minister an “error of judgment”. 

It’s the same media that for three years have been downplaying #MeToo with the admonishment that ‘we don’t go into these kinds of things in Denmark’, in between non-condemnatory reports of Jørgen Leth sleeping with his Haitian housekeeper’s teenage daughter. He is after all a national treasure.

Apologising again
Kofod yesterday apologised again for his error of judgment in 2008, which took place after his participation as a lecturer at an event organised by DSU, the Socialdemokratiet youth association of which the 15-year-old was a member.

“I can also only repeat what I said in 2008: an unreserved apology for what happened. I wish I could change what happened. I cannot, but I can learn from it. And I have learned from it,” he said.

The difference, of course, is that Kofod resigned from his post in 2008.

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs