Not only a political career but also a human rights lawyer and civic activist
Introduced as Korea's first sexual harassment case lawyer
Featured as a top article in Japanese media
"She was a comfort women lawyer and frequently mentioned Japan's war responsibility"
[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] After it was confirmed that Park Won-soon, the Mayor of Seoul, had passed away, major foreign media outlets almost without exception reported the news. In addition to the news of his death, foreign media gave significant attention to the fact that he was a leading presidential candidate in South Korea, his aggressive response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and his activities as a human rights lawyer and civic activist.
On the 9th, The New York Times (NYT) detailed the process from Mayor Park’s disappearance to his death, along with a comprehensive introduction to his career. The newspaper reported, "The news of Mayor Park’s death, along with the earlier revelation of sexual harassment allegations, shocked many," and added, "In the past, Mayor Park was both a political star and a strong advocate for women’s rights."
The newspaper also reported that during the military dictatorship era, Park worked as a human rights lawyer in cases such as the Bucheon Police Station sexual torture incident and the Seoul National University sexual harassment case, which was the first sexual harassment case to be addressed in court in South Korea. Additionally, he was actively involved in issues related to the Japanese military’s wartime comfort women.
The British daily The Guardian reported, "As a lawyer, Park led victories in representative sexual harassment cases in South Korea during the 1990s and was also actively involved in issues concerning World War II comfort women." The newspaper also introduced Park’s remarks during the start of the #MeToo movement in 2018, including statements like, "It shouldn’t rely solely on the will of heroes. Social solidarity is also necessary."
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead. It is presumed that Mayor Park took his own life. According to the police, Mayor Park was found deceased in the mountains near Samcheonggak, Bukaksan, Seoul, at 12:01 a.m. on the 10th. After undergoing a police on-site investigation, Mayor Park was transported to Seoul National University Hospital and was placed in the morgue at around 3:30 a.m. The photo shows the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the same day. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@
Furthermore, The Guardian reported, "Regarding COVID-19, Mayor Park took proactive measures such as closing nightclubs and banning protests to prevent the spread of the infectious disease." The British media noted that under Park’s leadership, Seoul achieved rapid containment of COVID-19 and received international praise for flexibly implementing social distancing measures according to the spread of the virus.
The Washington Post stated, "Park was one of the potential progressive presidential candidates in the 2022 election," and added, "During the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, he played a political role by supporting protesters as the Mayor of Seoul."
Major Japanese media also showed special interest by almost without exception reporting on Mayor Park’s death. The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, "Mayor Park often mentioned Japan’s war responsibility and in 2017 placed a bus route running past the statue symbolizing the comfort women issue." The Asahi Shimbun reported, "Mayor Park led South Korean civic movements, including campaigns against election losses, through influential civic groups like People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy," and added, "For these contributions, he was awarded the Magsaysay Award, known as the Asian Nobel Prize." Additionally, conservative Japanese newspapers such as the Yomiuri Shimbun and Sankei Shimbun featured Mayor Park’s death as their top homepage news, showing special attention.
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