Tears and Sighs... Wonsun Leaves into the Rain

Mourners Follow Hearse in Tearful Procession
Only About 100 Attend Ceremony to Prevent COVID-19
Entire Funeral Service Live-Streamed on YouTube Channel
After Cremation, Burial Scheduled at Ancestral Grave in Changnyeong, Gyeongnam

On the 13th, bereaved family members are paying tribute with flowers at the funeral ceremony of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, held at Seoul City Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Joint Press Corps

[Asia Economy reporters Jo In-kyung, Song Seung-yoon, Jung Dong-hoon] The funeral procession held at 7 a.m. on the 13th at the Seoul National University Hospital funeral hall, prior to the farewell ceremony for the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, was conducted in the Buddhist tradition. Access by the press was blocked, and despite the rainy and gloomy weather, mourners came to the funeral hall to pay their last respects. As the hearse and funeral vehicles left the hall, acquaintances and politicians who followed quietly wiped away tears, while some citizens watching sighed or sobbed.

The hearse arrived at the plaza in front of Seoul City Hall around 7:47 a.m. About 200 people, including family members and acquaintances, moved from the citizens’ memorial altar set up in front of City Hall to the farewell ceremony hall inside the Seoul City Hall, led by the portrait of the deceased. Dozens of citizens gathered at the memorial altar to witness the scene. Perhaps due to the rain and social controversies surrounding the deceased, not many citizens came to see the last moments of the mayor who served 10 years for 10 million citizens.

To prevent the spread of COVID-19, only about 100 people were allowed to attend the farewell ceremony, including the late Mayor’s wife Kang Nan-hee, son Park Ju-shin, daughter Park Da-in, provincial governors, Democratic Party leadership, Seoul city officials, and representatives of civil society. Instead, the entire ceremony was broadcast live on the Seoul City YouTube channel.

The farewell ceremony, hosted by Democratic Party lawmaker Go Min-jung, began with a memorial video, followed by tributes from Professor Baek Nak-cheong of Seoul National University, co-chair of the funeral committee, Lee Hae-chan, leader of the Democratic Party, Seo Jeong-hyeop, acting mayor of Seoul and first deputy mayor, and citizen Hong Nam-sook. Professor Baek said, "The shock felt by countless citizens, the public, and many overseas figures is because you were a special person who accumulated special merits. A comprehensive study of Park Won-soon or a historical evaluation of his public deeds can only begin in earnest after the mourning period ends."

Leader Lee expressed condolences, saying, "He was a person as pure as his passion and was often shy, so his final journey is very painful and sad." Acting Mayor Seo stated, "We will unwaveringly carry on Mayor Park’s dream of 'citizens as mayor' and a 'city that respects people,' the fundamental premise of Seoul’s administration, and his efforts to restore the lives of those who suffer."

After the tributes, attendees of the farewell ceremony laid flowers in turn, and the late Mayor Park’s daughter Da-in delivered a speech on behalf of the family. She said, "Though you have gone on a path from which you cannot return, I hope that now the citizens will become the mayor and protect a happy and safe Seoul."

After the approximately 1 hour and 10 minute farewell ceremony, the family and attendees moved to the Seoul Memorial Park in Wonji-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul. The deceased will be cremated there and then interred at the family burial site in Seonsan, Changnyeong, Gyeongnam.