Mayor Park Won-soon / Flickr.com
Park won-soon, an activist and a member of the Democratic Party who had led the Capital of South Korea since 2011 was found dead in the woods on Mount Bugak in northern Seoul on Friday. His body was later moved to the Seoul National University hospital where both family members and politicians are allowed to visit throughout the day
The cause of death is still unknown, but the police are investigating the case as a suicide
A report made by his daughter after he went missing urged the authorities to begin the search. Around 600 police officers and firefighters, three rescue dogs and drones scoured the city for seven hours
A note was found in his office as following: “"I apologize to everyone. I thank everyone who was with me in my lifetime. I am so sorry to my family, to whom I have only caused pain. Please cremate my body and scatter the ashes at my parents' grave. Goodbye everyone."
Interesting to note that the role of mayor in capital is considered the second most powerful position in the country after the president. Many Koreans were supporting the 64-year-old and saw him as a potential presidential candidate for the elections in 2022
Two days before the tragedy, a female employee who worked for Park in 2017 accused him of sexual harassment and gave her testimony along with her lawyer on Wednesday. The case captured the attention of both the Korean media and the people, especially since Park was known for always praising and supporting women and their rights
However, the investigation has been dropped and the case is closed according to the South Korean law. Encountering a huge number of online threats, the alleged victim will be under extra safety from the police for the time being
According to the Korean media, Seo Jeong-hyup, the vice-mayor for administrative affairs will serve as acting mayor until a by-election scheduled for April 2021
إرسال تعليق