30 Years as a Human Rights Lawyer, the 3-Term Seoul Mayor Who Faded Away in Vain

Victory for Joint Lawyers in Seoul National University Sexual Harassment Case
Repeated Transformations into Social Activist and Administrative Expert
Appointed Gender Special Advisor, Showing Interest in Women's Issues

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The late Mayor Park Won-soon, the first three-term mayor of Seoul and protector of 10 million Seoul citizens for a decade, was a figure who repeatedly transformed from a human rights lawyer to a social activist, and then to an administrative expert, rapidly rising as a leading next presidential candidate.

Born in 1956 in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam, he entered Seoul National University Law School but was expelled without completing his first year due to protests against the Yushin regime. He later graduated from Dankook University with a degree in history and passed the bar exam in 1980. Although appointed as a prosecutor at the Daegu District Prosecutors' Office, he soon resigned and practiced as a human rights lawyer for a considerable period. During a time when 'workplace sexual harassment' was not even recognized as illegal, he served as a co-lawyer in the 'Seoul National University Woo Teaching Assistant Case,' which led to the perpetrator receiving a fine. He later regarded this case as the most meaningful trial and 'an event that changed the great current of history.'

In 1995, Park transformed into a social activist by taking the position of Secretary General of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy. He led campaigns to defeat corrupt politicians, judicial reform movements, small shareholder movements, budget monitoring, and information disclosure campaigns, opening a new horizon for domestic civic movements. In 2000, he founded the Beautiful Foundation and, based on it, also opened the Beautiful Store, a social enterprise.

In 2011, following the resignation of former Mayor Oh Se-hoon, Park rapidly emerged as a candidate for Seoul mayor. At that time, he succeeded in unifying the candidacy with the concession of Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People's Party, and defeated Na Kyung-won of the Grand National Party to be elected mayor of Seoul. True to his background as a civic activist, he implemented various social innovation policies such as half-priced tuition fees, free school meals, regularization of irregular workers, youth allowances, urban regeneration, and social economy enterprise cooperatives. In the next local election, he defeated Chung Mong-joon of the Saenuri Party and succeeded in his second term. In the 2017 19th presidential election, he declared his candidacy in the Democratic Party primary but withdrew midway, instead running as the Democratic Party's candidate for Seoul mayor in the local election, defeating Kim Moon-soo of the Liberty Korea Party and winning a third term.

Starting his last third term in 2018, Mayor Park solidified his position as a next presidential candidate. Notably, he appointed a special gender advisor to oversee women's policies in Seoul and established a women's rights officer to protect victims of sexual violence, showing active efforts on women's issues. This year, in response to the spread of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), he actively expanded screening clinics, disclosed confirmed patients' movement paths, managed those in self-quarantine, and took strong and preemptive measures such as canceling the corporate license of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, earning evaluations for minimizing the spread of the infectious disease.

At a press conference held on the 6th, Mayor Park enthusiastically explained his plans for the remaining term, emphasizing a large-scale expansion of public rental housing supply. Although he was reserved about running for president, he showed signs of preparing for political moves by appointing two special committee chairs in addition to three vice mayors. Even on the day before his disappearance, the 8th, he held a press briefing to announce the 'Seoul-style Green New Deal' policy. It is only presumed that he ultimately could not overcome feelings of self-loathing and pressure caused by allegations contradicting the values he pursued and emphasized throughout his life, leading to his extreme choice.