Park Won-soon (; February 11, 1955 or March 26, 1956July 9, 2020) was a South Korean politician, activist, and lawyer. He was the longest-serving

mayor of Seoul The mayor of Seoul () is the chief executive of Seoul Metropolitan Government, Seoul being the capital and largest city of South Korea. The position is historically one of the most powerful in the country, charged with managing an annual budg ...

, from 2011 until his death in July 2020. A member of the

Democratic Party of Korea Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, he was first elected in

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

and won re-election in 2014 and 2018. He died by suicide in July 2020 following allegations of sexual harassment. Prior to being elected as mayor, Park was a community and

social justice Social justice is justice in relation to the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society where individuals' rights are recognized and protected. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has of ...

activist, serving as a member of the

Truth and Reconciliation Commission A truth commission, also known as a truth and reconciliation commission or truth and justice commission, is an official body tasked with discovering and revealing past wrongdoing by a government (or, depending on the circumstances, non-state ac ...

. He wrote many books on transitional justice as international human rights lawyer and worked as the chief prosecutor for both North and South Korea for the first time in The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery accusing the Showa Emperor. He was A noted political donor in

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

, Park contributed to political organizations and

think tanks A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-gov ...

that advocated for

grassroots A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or continent movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from volunteers at the local level to imp ...

solutions towards social, educational, environmental, and political issues. As a mayor of Seoul, he was awarded for the first time in South Korea, Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development for 'sharing city' and Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, Singapore for changing the city into an inclusive, socially stable and innovative city. In July 2020, Park's former secretary accused him of four years of

sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment based on the sex or gender of a victim. It can involve offensive sexist or sexual behavior, verbal or physical actions, up to bribery, coercion, and assault. Harassment may be explicit or implicit, wit ...

; Park died the next day, in an apparent

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

Early life

Park Won-soon was born on February 11, 1955 or March 26, 1956, in

Changnyeong Changnyeong County () is a county in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. In the early Three Kingdoms period, Changnyeong was the seat of Bihwa Gaya, a member of the Gaya confederacy which was later conquered by Silla. The Nakdong River flo ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

. He was enrolled at

Kyunggi High School Kyunggi High School () is the oldest modern high school in Korea, located in Gangnam District, Seoul. The school is an all-boys school, and its counterpart is , also located in Gangnam District, Seoul. Kyunggi High School has educated many leade ...

in 1971 and graduated in 1974. At first, Park went to earn his

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

Seoul National University Seoul National University (SNU; ) is a public university, public research university in Seoul, South Korea. It is one of the SKY (universities), SKY universities and a part of the Flagship Korean National Universities. The university's main c ...

, but was expelled and detained for four months over a protest he held over the military dictatorship of

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Park Chung Hee Park Chung Hee (; ; November14, 1917October26, 1979) was a South Korean politician and army officer who served as the third president of South Korea from 1962 after he seized power in the May 16 coup of 1961 until Assassination of Park Chung ...

. He later earned his Bachelor of Arts at

Dankook University Dankook University (commonly referred to as Dankook), abbreviated as DKU, is a private research university in Yongin and Cheonan, South Korea. The university was established in 1947. It was the first university established after the National Lib ...

. Park earned his diploma in

international law International law, also known as public international law and the law of nations, is the set of Rule of law, rules, norms, Customary law, legal customs and standards that State (polity), states and other actors feel an obligation to, and generall ...

at the

London School of Economics The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), established in 1895, is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the University of London. The school specialises in the social sciences. Founded ...

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

in 1991.

Career

Park worked as a public prosecutor in the Daegu District Court in

Gyeongsang Province Gyeongsang Province (; ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea. The provincial capital of Gyeongsang was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Silla, which unified Korea i ...

from 1982 to 1983. Returning to

from

Daegu Daegu (; ), formerly spelled Taegu and officially Daegu Metropolitan City (), is a city in southeastern South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; the fourth-largest List of provincial-level ci ...

, he launched into private law practice. He worked as a human rights lawyer and defended many political activists in the 1980s and 1990s. In 1993, Park became a visiting research fellow in the Human Rights Program of the School of Law in

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In 1994, he was a principal founder of the nonprofit watchdog organization

People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy (PSPD; ) is a South Korean non-governmental organization that was established on 10 September 1994 with around 200 members. In 2004, PSPD obtained a special consultative status with the UN ECOSOC ...

(PSPD), which monitors government regulatory practices and fights

political corruption Political corruption is the use of powers by government officials or their network contacts for illegitimate private gain. Forms of corruption vary but can include bribery, lobbying, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, parochialism, patronage, influen ...

. In 2002, Park stepped down from PSPD to run The Beautiful Foundation, a

philanthropic Philanthropy is a form of altruism that consists of "private initiatives for the public good, focusing on quality of life". Philanthropy contrasts with business initiatives, which are private initiatives for private good, focusing on material ...

group that promotes volunteerism and community service and addresses issues of

income inequality In economics, income distribution covers how a country's total GDP is distributed amongst its population. Economic theory and economic policy have long seen income and its distribution as a central concern. Unequal distribution of income causes ...

. Beginning in 2005, Park served as part of South Korea's

to address the history of human rights violations in Korean history from Japan's rule of Korea in 1910, up until the end of authoritarian rule in South Korea with the election of President

Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam (, ; 20 December 1927 – 22 November 2015), often referred to by his initials YS, was a South Korean politician and activist who served as the seventh president of South Korea from 1993 to 1998. From 1961, Kim spent almost 30 ye ...

in 1993. In 2006, as an offshoot of The Beautiful Foundation, Park founded the Hope Institute, a

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

designed to promote solutions arising from grassroots suggestions for social, educational, environmental, and political problems. As a lawyer, Park won several major cases, including South Korea's first

conviction. He also campaigned for the rights of

comfort women Comfort women were women and girls forced into sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Armed Forces in occupied countries and territories before and during World War II. The term ''comfort women'' is a translation of the Japanese , a euphemism ...

Mayor of Seoul (2011–20)

2011 mayoral campaign

In the Seoul mayoral by-election on October 26, 2011, he was elected as an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

candidate with the support of the Democratic Party and Democratic Labor Party. Park's victory is seen as a blow in particular to the

Grand National Party The Liberty Korea Party () was a conservative political party in South Korea that was described variously as right-wing, right-wing populist, or far-right. Until February 2017, it was known as the Saenuri Party (), and before that as the Han ...

and the prospective presidential candidacy of

Park Geun-hye Park Geun-hye (; ; born 2 February 1952) is a South Korean politician who served as the 11th president of South Korea from 2013 until Impeachment of Park Geun-hye, she was removed from office in 2017. Park was the first and to date only woman ...

, who had publicly supported Park Won-soon's opponent

Na Kyung-won Na Kyung-won (, born 6 December 1963) is a South Korean judge and politician. She is a member of the conservative People Power Party. She has been a member of the National Assembly since 2004. From December 2018 to December 2019 she was the parl ...

, and a triumph for the independent

Ahn Cheol-soo Ahn Cheol-soo (; born 26 February 1962) is a South Korean politician, medical doctor, businessperson, and software entrepreneur. He is a member of the National Assembly as part of the conservative People Power Party. Prior to his career in po ...

, whose support he received.'Outsider in: A blow for mainstream parties, of whatever hue'.
''

The Economist ''The Economist'' is a British newspaper published weekly in printed magazine format and daily on Electronic publishing, digital platforms. It publishes stories on topics that include economics, business, geopolitics, technology and culture. M ...

'', retrieved October 27, 2011. However, the inability of the Democratic Party to present its own candidate, and Park's refusal to join it after he had received its endorsement, served to present Park as a candidate independent of the interests of both established parties.

Tenure

As mayor, Park suggested a friendly football match and an orchestra event between South Korea and North Korea. He also praised Japan's

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

system during his disaster prevention training there. Early in 2012, Park was accused of illegally manipulating the army draft health checkup to have his son sent to a favorable post. However, after his son completed a public health checkup, Park and his son were declared innocent and received apologies from his accusers. Park has since said that he would forgive the accusers. In February 2012, Park joined the

Democratic United Party The Democratic Party (DP; ), formerly the Democratic United Party (DUP; ) until 2013, was a Liberalism in South Korea, liberal political party in South Korea, and for the duration of its existence the country's main opposition force. On 15 De ...

. On September 20, 2012, under the leadership of Park, the

Seoul Metropolitan Government The Seoul Metropolitan Government () is a local government of Seoul, South Korea. The mayor is elected to a four-year term by the citizens of Seoul and is responsible for the administration of the city government. The Seoul Metropolitan Governmen ...

announced its plan to promote a sharing vision through the Sharing City Seoul Project. As a consequence of the successful implementation of the plan, Park was recognized in South Korea and internationally as a leader of the Sharing City concept. On April 14, 2013, Line 9, part of the

Seoul Metropolitan Subway The Seoul Metropolitan Subway () is a urban rail transit, metropolitan railway system consisting of 23 rapid transit, Medium-capacity rail transport system, light metro, commuter rail and people mover lines located in northwest South Korea. T ...

, announced a sudden fare increase. Park objected to the fare being raised without negotiation and warned that if the corporation proceeded, Seoul would take over management of the corporation. Line 9 released an apology to the residents of Seoul. On June 4, 2014, Park was elected to his second term as mayor. On August 4, 2015, Park controversially referred to South Korea as a

housefly The housefly (''Musca domestica'') is a fly of the suborder Cyclorrhapha. It possibly originated in the Middle East, and Cosmopolitan distribution, spread around the world as a commensal of humans. Adults are gray to black, with four dark, lo ...

that should sit on China's

buttocks The buttocks (: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed of a lay ...

for economic progress. He was a vocal critic of then-President Park Geun-hye and participated in huge rallies against her in central Seoul that led to her impeachment and ousting on corruption charges in 2017. On June 13, 2018, Park was elected to his third and last term as Mayor of Seoul. He was the first mayor in the city's history to be elected to a third term.

Personal life

Park was married to Kang Nan-hee, with whom he had two children: a daughter, Park Da-in, and a son, Park Ju-sin. He received the

Ramon Magsaysay Award The Ramon Magsaysay Award (Filipino language, Filipino: ''Gawad Ramon Magsaysay'') is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, ...

in 2006. On July 8, 2020, one day before his disappearance, a former secretary filed a complaint against Park sexual harassment. She accused Park of physical and digital harassment over a period of four years until she transferred work departments to avoid the misconduct.

Sexual harassment

The victim, who was employed as Park's secretary, was asked to take care of intimate aspects of Park's life, including handling his undergarments before and after he showered. Park also sent inappropriate texts and photos to the victim, including pictures of himself in his underwear as well as obscene late-night messages over the

Telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas pi ...

app. The independent National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRC) found that Park's words and actions toward his secretary constituted sexual harassment under the country's laws.

Death

On July 9, 2020, the day after Park was accused of sexual harassment, Park's daughter reported him as

missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras about the 1973 coup in Chile *, a Belgian film ...

after reportedly taking sick leave, alerting the

National Police Agency National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries: *Afghanistan: Afghan National Police *Haiti: Haitian National Police *Canada: Royal Canadian Mounted Police *Colombia: National Police of Colombia *Cuba: National Revolut ...

at 5:17 pm KST. Park's cell phone was reported as turned off in the

Seongbuk District Seongbuk District () is one of the 25 districts of Seoul, South Korea. The district is located in the mid-north part of the city. The current mayor is Lee Seung-ro, who has been mayor since July 2018. Seongbuk District was established under Pres ...

of Seoul, with his daughter finding a

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

-like note. Authorities began using

search dogs A search-and-rescue (SAR) dog is a dog trained to respond to crime scenes, accidents, missing persons events, as well as natural or man-made disasters. These dogs detect human scent, which is a distinct odor of skin flakes and water and oil secr ...

and drones in Seongbuk District. Around midnight, his body was found near Sukjeongmun on Bugak Mountain in northern Seoul. With no foul play found at the scene, it has been broadly reported that the death is considered a

. Park's family accepted a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements o ...

, held at

Seoul City Hall Seoul City Hall () is a governmental building for the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea, in charge of the administrative affairs of Seoul. It is located in Taepyeongno, Jung-gu, at the heart of Seoul. It is connected to City Hall Sta ...

and streamed online on July 13, 2020. About 992,000 people have paid tribute to Park on an online city-run mourning site. Despite the controversy surrounding the sexual harassment, the funeral was paid for by the city using public funds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Won-soon 1956 births 2020 deaths 2020 suicides 2020s missing person cases 21st-century mayors of places in South Korea Dankook University alumni Democratic Party (South Korea, 1955) politicians Formerly missing people Independent politicians in South Korea Male suicides Mayors of Seoul Missing person cases in Asia People from Changnyeong County Politicians from South Gyeongsang Province Ramon Magsaysay Award winners South Korean Buddhists 20th-century South Korean lawyers South Korean politicians who died by suicide South Korean prosecutors 21st-century South Korean lawyers Suicides in South Korea