Mayor Park Meets with Secretary General Goh Han-seok on the Morning of the 9th
Atmosphere Rapidly Shifts from 'Sexual Violence Allegations' Response to 'Mayor's Personal Security' Measures
What Was Said During the Meeting with Secretary General Goh
CCTV footage reported by SBS on the 10th. The late Mayor Park Won-soon leaving the official residence in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th, walking along a nearby street [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Interest is growing in what kind of conversation took place between the late Park Won-soon, former Seoul mayor accused of secretary sexual harassment, and his closest aide, Secretary General Go Han-seok, whom he met on the morning of the 9th, the day before Park was found dead.
On the 8th, despite receiving a report about the sexual harassment scandal from Gender Special Advisor Lim Soon-young, Mayor Park carried out his usual schedule, including having dinner with some district mayors.
From 3 p.m. on the 8th, when Mayor Park was first suspected of sexual misconduct according to Advisor Lim, until 12:01 a.m. on the 10th, when his body was found, a total of 33 hours elapsed.
Among that time, Park met Secretary General Go between 9 and 10 a.m. on the 9th, then suddenly disappeared and was later found dead. This has raised suspicions that the report Go gave at that time might have led Park to make a kind of 'decision' from his position.
This is why Secretary General Go is being called a kind of 'key man' in the case.
Seoul City Secretary General Koh Han-seok is revealing the late Mayor Park Won-soon's will in front of the funeral hall at Seoul National University Hospital in Jongno-gu, Seoul, where the late mayor's resting place was prepared on the morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
According to closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage from Park’s official residence in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, released to the media, Secretary General Go left the residence around 10:10 a.m. on the 9th. Thirty-four minutes later, at 10:44 a.m., Mayor Park also left the residence.
In the footage, Mayor Park is dressed in hiking clothes: a navy hiking hat, a black hiking jacket and pants, and hiking boots. He is also seen carrying a hiking backpack with the Seoul city brand 'I·SEOUL·U' on it.
All his clothing is dark-colored; he wore his hat pulled down and covered his face with a mask. Except for a brief glance at a passerby while walking down an alley with his head bowed deeply, Park’s gaze in the footage remained fixed on the ground.
Later that day, at around 5:17 p.m., Park’s daughter reported him missing to 112, saying, "My father said strange things and went out, but his phone is off."
After receiving the report, the police analyzed CCTV footage and captured Park entering Bukaksan Mountain near Waryong Park at around 10:53 a.m. The police, who began searching, found Park’s body at 12:01 a.m. on the 10th.
The portrait of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, is arriving at Seoul City Hall on the morning of the 13th, where the funeral ceremony is being held. / Photo by Yonhap News
However, it is reported that before Park’s daughter filed the missing person report, the Seoul city government had already been trying to track Park’s whereabouts.
According to JTBC, a person identifying as a Seoul city official called the Bukaksan Mountain information center twice on the 9th, at 11:20 a.m. and at noon, asking, "The mayor went to see some construction nearby; after visiting the construction site, didn’t he go to the Bukaksan information center?"
From the first report of an 'unfortunate incident' by Gender Special Advisor Lim at 3 p.m. on the 8th, the situation rapidly changed after Park met Secretary General Go between 9 and 10 a.m. on the 9th. The response shifted from dealing with the sexual scandal to urgent measures concerning Park’s personal safety.
After the police investigation on the 15th, Secretary General Go told reporters that he remembered the last call with the late mayor was "around 1:39." He did not specify whether this was in the morning or afternoon of the 9th. When asked about the content of the conversation, he replied, "I have told everything to the police," and did not answer further.
Meanwhile, the Seoul city government announced its intention to form a public-private joint investigation team including external experts to thoroughly investigate the sexual harassment allegations against Mayor Park.
Hwang In-sik, Seoul city spokesperson, said at an emergency briefing on the 15th, "To ensure fairness and objectivity in the investigation, we will form a public-private joint investigation team including external experts such as women’s groups, human rights specialists, and legal professionals to thoroughly uncover the truth."
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