Seoul mayor's apparent suicide sends shock waves through South Korea
Before being found dead in the hills of Seoul early Friday, the city’s mayor, Park Won-soon, left a crumpled note saying sorry.
"I send my apologies to everyone. I thank everyone who shared my life. I am so sorry to my family to whom I only gave pain," read the apparent suicide note left on the desk of his official residence and released by the city government with the permission of his family.
"Bye everyone."
Park was 64. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.
News that the former activist, women's rights advocate and lawyer had apparently taken his own life has rocked South Korea's capital, Seoul, home to more than 10 million people. As one of the country's most well-known elected officials, he had been tipped as a potential presidential candidate in 2022.
Park's death followed a criminal probe and media reports of alleged sexual misconduct.
On Wednesday, one of Park's former secretaries filed a complaint accusing him of sexual harassment, the South Korean Yonhap news agency reported.
Police also confirmed that a criminal complaint had been made Wednesday alleging "sexual molestation" against Park.
Late Thursday afternoon his daughter, Park Da-in, reported him missing to the police when she found out his phone was turned off about four to five hours after he left home after making comments said sounded like a will to her.
This prompted a massive police search, and Park's body was found just after midnight near the Bukak Mountain area of the Sungbuk district of Seoul, Choi Ik-su, the director of criminal litigation at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency, said at a press briefing Friday.
There was no sign of foul play, and police did not give a cause of death.
"Currently, we found no evidence to support murder, but we will nevertheless conduct a thorough investigation into his death," Choi said. "Considering the honor of the mayor and his bereaved family, we are not going to disclose the cause of the death."
A representative for Park's family said it was time to let him go and urged people to avoid spreading "groundless statements."
"If acts of defaming him continue irrespective of the truth, we will sternly respond with legal action," Moon Mi-ran, who formerly served as deputy mayor under Park, said in a statement.
As a lawyer in the 1990s, Park won one of South Korea's earliest cases on sexual harassment. During his career, Park also strongly advocated for the cause of "comfort women" who were forced to work in Japan's wartime military brothels during World War II.
In addition, Park was an outspoken advocate of gender equality. Amid the #MeToo movement in 2018, he had praised South Korean women for their courage after a series of women accused powerful politicians of sexual wrongdoings.
Many residents of Seoul expressed shock over his death. Leading lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties expressed condolences, as did the U.S. ambassador to South Korea, Harry Harris.
South Korea has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, according to the OECD.
If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide please call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text TALK to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
