Seoul Mayor: how Park Won’s dramatic death soon left a divided country

“I feel sorry for everyone,” Park said in a handwritten note at his Seoul residence that was shared with the media on Friday. “Thank you for everyone who has been with me in my life. I feel sorry for my family because I have only caused them pain.”

A stately career

Before his death, Park was widely viewed as an energetic and personable leader. She was part of the team of lawyers to represent Kwon In-sook, a university student who said that she had been sexually assaulted by the police in the city of Bucheon in 1986. An officer was convicted.

According to Kwon’s office, she was the first woman to file sexual assault charges against authorities.

Park earned a diploma in international law from the London School of Economics and Political Science at the University of London, and was a visiting researcher in the Human Rights Program at Harvard University School of Law.

He also had an interest in activism. As a young man, he was arrested for protesting against then-President Park Chung-hee, who many called a military dictator. He founded a number of organizations, including the Popular Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, which promotes democracy and human rights in South Korea.

Then in 2011 Park was elected mayor of Seoul in a landslide victory. This sparked a public frenzy: He was a strange politician, and his unexpected defeat of a ruling party candidate was seen as a sign that South Koreans were tired of traditional politics.

As mayor, Park championed the city’s welfare projects and became a symbol of reform. He was reelected in both 2014 and 2018, making him the city’s first mayor-elect to serve three terms, and many voters even saw him as a possible presidential candidate when current President Moon Jae-in’s term ends in 2022.

Mixed reaction

Park’s death sparked mixed reactions in the capital of South Korea. The video on Yonhap, the country’s government-funded news agency, showed mourners outside the hospital where Park’s body lies crying and screaming “Mayor, it shouldn’t go like this” and “I love you, Park Won-soon”

Acting Mayor Seo Jung-hyup, who took office after Park’s death, also expressed his condolences. “I send my condolences to citizens who must be saddened and confused by his sudden death,” he said Friday at a press conference. “The Seoul government must not stop and must continue steadfastly, prioritizing safety and well-being following the philosophy of Mayor Park Won-soon.”

But others are angry that a court will never hear the accusations against Park. Under South Korean law, when a suspect dies, open investigations are closed as prosecutors have no reason to press charges.

Kim Jae-ryeon, an attorney for the accuser who filed the lawsuit against Park, alleged at a press conference Monday that the official had sexually harassed his client for four years while she was one of his secretaries.

The lawyer said the harassment continued after the woman moved to a different department. He added that his client had filed the complaint on July 8, less than two days before Park’s death.

The name of the accuser was not disclosed to protect his privacy, which is common practice in South Korea.

The Seoul city government has yet to give an official response to the accusation, but the women’s policy division is currently reviewing the case, according to the spokesman’s office.

In a letter read at the press conference, the alleged victim said it had been too difficult to remain silent about the alleged harassment.

“What message do you want to send to the public?” The page say.

In a statement, a representative of Park’s family asked the public to show respect. “If the repeated defamation of the deceased Park continues, we will have to take legal action,” the statement said.

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Park’s death comes as South Korea faces traditional domestic perceptions of sexual assault, in particular a calculation against what some see as a misogynistic culture.

Both Ahn and Oh were associated with President Moon’s Democratic Party.