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Seoul Mayor Found Dead After Daughter Reports Him Missing Seoul Mayor Is Found Dead After Harassment Complaint Is Filed
(about 3 hours later)
SEOUL, South Korea — The mayor of Seoul, South Korea, the country’s most powerful official after the president, was found dead by the police, hours after his daughter reported him missing, the authorities said Friday. SEOUL, South Korea — The mayor of Seoul, the country’s second-most powerful official and a potential presidential candidate, was found dead just days after a secretary in his office told the police that he had sexually harassed her since 2017, the authorities said on Friday.
A Seoul police officer confirmed the discovery of Park Won-soon’s body in a hill in northern Seoul, but said he could offer no further detail until there was a formal announcement. A Seoul police officer confirmed early Friday that the body of the mayor, Park Won-soon, had been discovered on a hill in northern Seoul, several hours after his daughter had reported him missing. The police offered no immediate details.
His disappearance came a day after a secretary in the mayor’s office told the police that he had been sexually harassing her since 2017, two Seoul television stations reported, attributing the information to unidentified police sources. Word of the mayor’s death and its possible links to sexual misconduct sent shock waves across the country, not only because Mr. Park was a political star but also because he had long been seen as a champion of women’s rights. His positions stood out in a country where men dominate society’s upper echelons, enforcing a strictly hierarchical code that analysts say makes women vulnerable to abuse and forces its victims to stay silent.
Mr. Park, 64, had canceled his official schedule for Thursday and called in sick to City Hall. His daughter told the police that he had left home after leaving a cryptic, “will-like message,” according to Yonhap, the national news agency, which cited an anonymous police source. Mr. Park, 64, had canceled his official schedule and called in sick to City Hall on Thursday, the day after the secretary had filed her complaint. His daughter told the police that he had left home after leaving a cryptic, “will-like message,” according to Yonhap, the national news agency, which cited an anonymous police source. That detail immediately fueled speculation that Mr. Park could have taken his own life.
When Mr. Park had not returned home after five hours, his daughter called the police. The discovery of Mr. Park’s body came after nearly 600 police officers and emergency medical workers, aided by police dogs, searched the hills in northern Seoul, where his cellphone signal had last been detected.
The discovery of the body came after 580 police officers and emergency medical workers, aided by police dogs, searched the hills in northern Seoul. Mr. Park, who was serving his third term as mayor of Seoul, a city of 10 million, had often been cited as a possible successor to President Moon Jae-in, whose single five-year term is set to expire in 2022. Mr. Park’s mayoral term had been scheduled to end in 2022.
The mayor of Seoul, a city of 10 million, is considered the second most powerful elected official in South Korea after the president. Mr. Park, who was serving his third term, had often been named as a possible candidate to replace President Moon Jae-in, whose single five-year term is set to end in 2022. Before becoming mayor, Mr. Park was a prominent human rights attorney who founded the country’s most influential civil rights group. As a lawyer, he won several major cases, including South Korea’s first sexual harassment case. He also campaigned for the rights of so-called comfort women, Korean sex slaves who were lured or forced to work in brothels for the Japanese Army during World War II.
Mr. Park had been the mayor of Seoul since 2011. His latest term had been scheduled to end in 2022. During the military dictatorship of the 1980s, Mr. Park helped win the conviction of a police officer who molested a female student activist during an interrogation. In the 1990s, he helped win damages for a teaching assistant at Seoul National University who accused her professor of refusing to rehire her after she protested unwanted sexual advances. It was the first sexual harassment case in South Korean history.
Before becoming mayor, Mr. Park was a prominent human rights attorney who founded the country’s most influential civil rights group. In recent years, the #MeToo movement has rippled across South Korea, leading to a series of high-profile cases. Women have come forward with accusations of sexual abuse against an array of prominent men, including theater directors, politicians, professors, religious leaders and a former coach for the national speedskating team. Many of the accused have apologized and resigned from their positions. Several have faced criminal charges.
As a lawyer, he won several major cases, including South Korea’s first sexual harassment conviction. He also campaigned for the rights of so-called comfort women, Korean sex slaves who were lured or forced to work in brothels for the Japanese army during World War II. In April, Oh Keo-don, mayor of Busan, South Korea’s second-largest city, admitted to sexual misconduct and resigned after a public servant accused him of sexually assaulting her in his office.
In recent years, the #MeToo movement has rippled through the country. In April, the mayor of South Korea’s second largest city, Busan, resigned after admitting to sexual misconduct and being accused of sexually assaulting a female public servant. In 2018, Ahn Hee-jung, a rising star in President Moon’s governing Democratic Party and a presidential hopeful, stepped down as governor of South Chungcheong Province after his secretary went on television to accuse him of repeatedly sexually assaulting her. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on rape charges.
A steady stream of women have come forward with accusations of sexual abuse against an array of prominent South Korean men, including theater directors, politicians, professors, religious leaders and a former coach for the national speedskating team. Many of the accused have apologized and resigned from their positions. Several have faced criminal charges. President Moon has supported the #MeToo movement, but accusations against prominent allies have been particularly disturbing for his governing liberal camp.
Mr. Park was considered a tireless critic of inequality and a vocal antagonist of former President Park Geun-hye. He supported huge rallies against her in central Seoul that ultimately led to her impeachment and ouster on corruption charges in 2017. Mr. Park, Mr. Ahn and Mr. Oh were all considered prominent members of the president’s Democratic Party. Mr. Park and Mr. Ahn had built successful careers as activists who fought for democracy and human rights under the country’s past military dictatorship.
He had also been one of the most aggressive leaders in South Korea in fighting the coronavirus, issuing a series of municipal steps aimed at containing its spread, like shutting down nightclubs. Seoul has reported only 1,390 cases. They had billed themselves as holding a higher moral ground than their conservative counterparts, many of whom were connected to the dictatorship.
Mr. Park helped found the People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, one of South Korea’s most powerful civic groups, which campaigned against corrupt ties between politics and big businesses in a country that has been plagued by scandal.
He had a reputation for being a tireless critic of inequality and a vocal antagonist of former President Park Geun-hye, supporting huge rallies against her in central Seoul that ultimately led to her impeachment and ouster on corruption charges in 2017.
He had also been one of the most aggressive leaders in South Korea in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, taking a series of steps aimed at containing its spread, like shutting down nightclubs. Seoul has reported only 1,390 cases.
South Korea has the highest suicide rate among the member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. It has been rare for politicians in South Korea to take their own lives out of public shame.
But former President Roh Moo-hyun killed himself amid allegations of corruption against his family in 2009. Another popular liberal politician, Roh Hoe-chan, also killed himself in 2018 when he faced allegations of corruption.