The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
  • World Expo 2030
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
  • Hangzhou Asian Games
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_X_on_2023.svgbt_X_over_2023.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    INTERVIEWINFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer

  • 3

    Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh

  • 5

    US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos

  • 7

    As Christmas nears, people feel growing income disparity

  • 9

    Hyundai Motor unveils universal wheel drive system

  • 11

    Cargo ship submerged off Korea's southwestern coast; no crewmen found

  • 13

    BTS wins 2023 MAMA Award for Worldwide Icon of the Year

  • 15

    Airline operating guideline to include mandatory passenger warning against opening plane door

  • 17

    Hyundai Card's overseas usage skyrockets with Apple Pay partnership

  • 19

    Samsung's Harman acquires music streaming platform Roon

  • 2

    2023 MAMA AWARDS hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup

  • 4

    PHOTOSIt's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 6

    How can Korea become more migrant-friendly?

  • 8

    Why are major South Korean stocks persistently undervalued?

  • 10

    Jefferies to open Seoul office in January

  • 12

    N. Korea says spy satellite took photos of White House, Pentagon, key US naval base

  • 14

    Economist challenges Yoon's immigration policies

  • 16

    SPECIAL REPORTKorea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants

  • 18

    Hyundai Card's overseas usage skyrockets with Apple Pay partnership

  • 20

    Rights experts criticize China for denying torture in North Korea

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
Thu, November 30, 2023 | 01:03
Politics
Mayor's sudden death shocks Seoul citizens
Posted : 2020-07-10 17:22
Updated : 2020-07-11 11:17
Kim Se-jeong
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
Policemen carry the body of Park Won-soon who was found dead in northern Seoul early Friday. / Yonhap
Policemen carry the body of Park Won-soon who was found dead in northern Seoul early Friday. / Yonhap

Park says 'sorry to everyone' in suicide note

By Kim Se-jeong

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a former human rights lawyer with a long record of defending women, was discovered dead in an apparent suicide early Friday, two days after his secretary filed a sexual harassment complaint against him.

The reason for his action is not yet known but it is presumed that Park, who was seen as a potential presidential candidate in 2022, killed himself because of undue pressure following the complaint. An investigation is under way to discover what drove him to kill himself.

A police search team found his body near Sukjeong Gate, the northern gate of the old city walls on Mount Bugak, one minute after midnight. Police said that he was found in a state that seems to suggest that he committed suicide.

According to the complaint filed with the police in Seoul, Wednesday, the harassment began in 2017, with him hugging the victim and groping her body in his office. She said she had also received obscene images and messages from him through Telegram and that he had demanded her send pictures as well.

The victim wrote she had reached out to colleagues for help but didn't receive any and mentioned that she knew other victims in the city government who were too afraid to do anything. She quit her job recently and sought psychiatric treatment and counseling before filing the complaint.

Mayor killed himself: police
2020-07-10 21:49  |  Politics
Seoul Mayor found dead: police
Seoul Mayor found dead: police
2020-07-10 00:44  |  Politics
'Thank you, sorry and good bye': Mayor's handwritten will unveiled
'Thank you, sorry and good bye': Mayor's handwritten will unveiled
2020-07-10 13:09  |  Politics
Park's death expected to heat up 2021 by-elections
Park's death expected to heat up 2021 by-elections
2020-07-10 16:04  |  Politics
In what seemed to be a suicide note unveiled by the city authorities Friday, Park wrote: "Thank you everyone with whom I shared my life. To my family, I am deeply sorry for causing so much pain. Please cremate my body and spread my ashes on my parents' graves."

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Police, Park's body was found in the forested hills near his official residence, seven hours after his daughter filed a missing person report at 5:17 p.m. Thursday. She said the mayor left a message to his family that sounded like his "last words" before he left home.

His death came as a shock not only to those in political circles but also Seoul residents because Park, a longtime civic activist and a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, had been regarded as a potential candidate for the 2022 presidential election.

Park, who became the first Seoul mayor elected for a third consecutive term in June 2018, unveiled a variety of measures to tackle growing social and economic divisions with a focus on young people, the environment and urban regeneration ― which have been widely appreciated by middle- and low-income households.

With Park's death, Seo Jeong-hyup, the first vice mayor for administrative affairs, under the law, will serve as acting mayor until a by-election slated for April 7, 2021.

"We pray for the soul of the deceased and extend our deepest condolences to the residents. City affairs will firmly continue according to Mayor Park Won-soon's values that prioritized stability and welfare," Vice Mayor Seo said during a press briefing.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to hold a civic funeral for Park and run on contingency plans for the time being. It said that Park's funeral will be held after a mourning period of five days ― generally this lasts for three days.

A memorial altar will be set up in front of City Hall in central Seoul for residents and staff members wanting to pay their respects to Park, they added.

The late mayor had made his name as a human rights lawyer, especially representing sexual harassment victims.

Between 1993 and 1999, he defended a teaching assistant from Seoul National University who sued her professor for sexual harassment, in a symbolic case which marked the first to be filed and which also raised awareness of the issue in Korean society. He won the case after a six-year fight.

In 2000, Park represented Korean victims of sexual slavery at the Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery, a tribunal organized by a women's rights NGO, and argued the case made by them.


Emailskim@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
wooribank
LG group
Top 10 Stories
1Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh Busan eyes Expo 2035 after losing to Riyadh
2US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos US, S. Korea cast doubt over NK's satellite photos
3[SPECIAL REPORT] Korea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrantsSPECIAL REPORTKorea should embrace cultural diversity in integrating immigrants
4Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts Saudi Expo win puts Korean firms in line for contracts
5Journey into Tomorrow: Commemorating 140 years of Korean-German diplomatic relations Journey into Tomorrow: Commemorating 140 years of Korean-German diplomatic relations
6Busan citizens disappointed but ready for World Expo 2035 bid Busan citizens disappointed but ready for World Expo 2035 bid
7Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4 Birthrate might fall below 0.7 in Q4
8Chanel, Hermes, Nike rectify customer policies after FTC warning Chanel, Hermes, Nike rectify customer policies after FTC warning
9Air Force awards 2 warrant officers as top air defense weapons controllers Air Force awards 2 warrant officers as top air defense weapons controllers
10Retailers, food firms rush to reduce workforce amid economic downturn Retailers, food firms rush to reduce workforce amid economic downturn
Top 5 Entertainment News
1December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen December brings mix of action, thriller, romance to small screen
2[INTERVIEW] INFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer INTERVIEWINFINITE's Nam Woo-hyun returns after battling with rare cancer
32023 MAMA AWARDS hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup 2023 MAMA AWARDS hits Tokyo Dome with stellar lineup
4NMIXX to showcase unique allure with 'Fe3O4: BREAK' album next year NMIXX to showcase unique allure with 'Fe3O4: BREAK' album next year
5Perrotin brings Shim Moon-seup's seascape-inspired canvases to Paris Perrotin brings Shim Moon-seup's seascape-inspired canvases to Paris
DARKROOM
  • [PHOTOS] It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

    [PHOTOS] It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

  • 2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

    2023 Thanksgiving parade in NYC

  • Appreciation of autumn colors

    Appreciation of autumn colors

  • Our children deserve better

    Our children deserve better

  • Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

    Israel-Gaza conflict erupts into war

  • Turkey-Syria earthquake

    Turkey-Syria earthquake

  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel: 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844
Date of registration: 2020.02.05
Masthead: The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group