Park Won-soon

Park Won-soon (Korean: 박원순; March 26, 1956 – July 9, 2020) was a South Korean politician, philanthropist, activist, and lawyer who served as the longest-serving mayor of Seoul[2] from 2011 until his death in July 2020. A member of the Democratic Party, he was first elected in 2011[3] and won re-election in 2014 and 2018.

This is a Korean name; the family name is Park.
Park Won-soon
박원순
Mayor of Seoul
In office
October 27, 2011 – July 9, 2020
Preceded byOh Se-hoon
Succeeded bySeo Jung-hyup (acting)
Personal details
Born(1956-03-26)March 26, 1956
Changnyeong, South Korea
DiedJuly 9, 2020(2020-07-09) (aged 64)
Jongno, Seoul, South Korea
Cause of deathSuicide[1]
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse(s)Kang Nan-hee
Alma materSeoul National University (Expelled)
Dankook University (BA)
London School of Economics (Diploma)
Korean name
Hangul
Hanja
Revised RomanizationBak Wonsun
McCune–ReischauerPak Wŏnsun

Prior to being elected mayor, Park was a community and social justice activist. He was a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. A noted political donor in Seoul, Park contributed to political organizations and think tanks that advocated for grassroots solutions towards social, educational, environmental, and political issues.

Early life

Park was born on March 26, 1956, in Changnyeong, South Korea.[4] He was enrolled at Kyunggi High School in 1971 and graduated in 1974.[4]

At first, he went to earn his Bachelor of Arts at Seoul National University, however he was expelled and arrested for four months over a protest he held over the military dictatorship of President Park Chung-hee.[5] He later earned his Bachelor of Arts at Dankook University.[5] He earned his diploma in International law at the London School of Economics at University of London in 1991.[4]

Early work

He worked as a public prosecutor in the Daegu District Court in Gyeongsang Province from 1982 to 1983.[4] Returning to Seoul from Daegu, he launched into private law practice. He worked as a human rights lawyer and defended many political activists in the 1980s and 1990s.[5]

In 1993, he became a visiting research fellow in the Human Rights Program of the School of Law in Harvard University.[5] In 1994, he was a principal founder of the nonprofit watchdog organization People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy which monitors government regulatory practices and fights political corruption.[6]

In 2002, Park stepped down from PSPD to run The Beautiful Foundation, a philanthropic group that promotes volunteerism and community service and addresses issues of income inequality.[7] Beginning in 2005, Park served as part of South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission 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 Korea with the election of President Kim Young-sam in 1993.[8]

In 2006, as an offshoot of The Beautiful Foundation, he founded the Hope Institute, a think tank designed to promote solutions arising from grass roots suggestions for social, educational, environmental, and political problems.[9]

As a lawyer, he won several major cases, including South Korea’s first sexual harassment conviction.[6] He also campaigned for the rights of comfort women.[6]

Mayor of Seoul (2011–2020)
Park discussing the 2013 Special Winter Olympic Games

2011 mayoral campaign
Main article: 2011 South Korean by-elections § Seoul mayoral election

In the Seoul mayoral by-election on October 26, 2011, he was elected as an independent candidate with the support of the Democratic Party and Democratic Labor Party.[10] Park's victory is seen as a blow in particular to the Grand National Party and the prospective presidential candidacy of Park Geun-hye, who had publicly supported Park Won-soon's opponent Na Kyung-won, and a triumph for the independent Ahn Cheol-Soo, whose support he received.[10]

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, has served to present Park as a candidate independent of the interests of both established parties.[10][11]

Tenure
Park in December 2014

Park once suggested a friendly football match and an orchestra event between South Korea and North Korea.[12] He also praised the Japanese local government system during his disaster prevention training in Japan.[13]

Early in 2012, Park was accused of illegally manipulating the army draft health checkup to have his son sent to a favorable post.[14] However, after his son completed a public health checkup, Park and his son were declared innocent and received apologies from his accusers.[14] Park has since said that he would forgive the accusers.[14] In February 2012, Park joined the Democratic United Party.[5]

On September 20, 2012, under the leadership of Park, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced its plan to promote a sharing vision through the Sharing City Seoul Project.[15] As a consequence of the successful implementation of the plan, Park is recognized in Korea and internationally as a leader of the Sharing City concept.[16][17][18]

On April 14, 2013, Line 9, part of the Seoul Metropolitan Subway, announced a sudden fare increase.[19] But Park objected to the fare being raised without negotiation, and warned that if the corporation proceeded, Seoul would take over management of the corporation.[20] Finally, Line 9 released an apology to the residents of Seoul.[19][20] On June 4, 2014, Park was elected to his second term as Mayor of Seoul.[6]

On August 4, 2015, Park controversially referred to South Korea as a housefly that should sit on China's buttocks for economic progress.[21][22]

He was a vocal critic of then-President Park Geun-hye and supported and participated in huge rallies against her in central Seoul that led to her impeachment and ousting on corruption charges in 2017.[6][23]

On June 13, 2018, Park was elected to his third and last term as Mayor of Seoul.[6] He was the first mayor in the city's history to be elected to a third term.[24]

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.[25][26]

He received the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2006.[27]

On July 8, 2020, one day before his disappearance, a former secretary filed a complaint against Park, alleging sexual harassment.[28] She accused Park of physical and digital harassment over a period of four years until she transferred work departments to avoid the misconduct.[29]

Death
Park's funeral was held after a mourning period of five days.

On July 9, 2020, Park's daughter reported him as missing after reportedly taking sick leave, alerting the National Police Agency at 5:17 pm KST.[30][31][32] His cell phone was reported as turned off in the Seongbuk District of Seoul, with his daughter finding a will-like note.[33] Authorities began using search dogs and drones in Seongbuk District.[34] Around midnight, his body was found near Sukjeongmun on Bugak Mountain in northern Seoul.[35][36] With no foul play found at the scene, it has been broadly reported that the death is considered a suicide.[37][28][38]

Park's family accepted a state funeral, held at Seoul City Hall and streamed online on July 13, 2020. About 992,000 people have paid tribute to Park on an online city-run mourning site. Despite controversy surrounding the alleged sexual harassment, the funeral was paid for by the city using public funds.[38]

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References
  1. "Mayor killed himself: police". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  2. "Seoul's Longest Serving Mayor Was Found Dead One Day After A Harassment Case Was Filed Against Him". www.vice.com. Retrieved July 10, 2020.
  3. "Seoul Residents Elect Liberal Novice as Mayor". voanews.com. Archived from the original on May 26, 2012. Retrieved October 26, 2011.
  4. "Biography – Park Won-soon". Lee Kuan Yew World City Price. Archived from the original on March 19, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  5. "Won-Soon Park". Berggruen.org. Archived from the original on May 4, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  6. "Police Search for Seoul Mayor After His Daughter Reports Him Missing". The New York Times. July 9, 2020. Archived from the original on July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  7. "아름다운재단 홈페이지". 아름다운재단. Archived from the original on March 17, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. "'University of Minnesota, Institute for Advanced Study – 'Bringing Justice to an Unjustified Past in Korea". Archived from the original on December 28, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  9. "아름다운재단 홈페이지". 아름다운재단. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  10. 'Outsider in: A blow for mainstream parties, of whatever hue'. Archived October 28, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The Economist, retrieved October 27, 2011.
  11. 'Seoul Election Spells 'No-Confidence' in Political Establishment'. Archived October 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine Chosun Ilbo, retrieved October 27, 2011.
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  13. Lee (이), Chung-weon (충원) (February 10, 2012). "Archived copy" 박원순 "일본식 작고 합리적 자치시스템 배워야". Yonhap News (in Korean). Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2012.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. Kim, Ji-seop (February 22, 2012). "병무청 제출 박원순시장 아들 MRI, 본인 것 맞다". Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
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  19. "9호선 요금 500원 인상? 서울시 "공문 안떼면 과태료". Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
  20. "9호선쪽 "예정대로 요금 인상" 서울시 "9호선사장 해임 명령". Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2013.
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  34. "Seoul mayor Park Won-soon missing; search op underway". IB Times. July 9, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  35. "박원순 서울시장 북악산 숙정문 인근서 숨진 채 발견". 연합뉴스. July 10, 2020. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
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  37. Park, Si-soo (July 10, 2020). "Mayor killed himself: police". The Korea Times. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
  38. "Controversy over how to mourn Seoul's 'feminist mayor' reportedly accused of sexual harassment". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. July 13, 2020. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
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