Seoul mayor takes own life after sexual harassment allegations

The mayor of Seoul, a contender to be South Korea’s next president and a former human rights lawyer, took his own life a day after he was accused of sexual harassment, authorities said Friday.

The death of Park Won-soon, whose body was recovered early Friday on a mountain in the capital, is by far the most dramatic end to a #MeToo case in South Korea, a highly patriarchal society where the women’s movement has brought down scores of prominent men in multiple fields.

If Park does prove to have killed himself he would be the highest-profile South Korean politician to do so since former president Roh Moo-hyun, who jumped off a cliff in 2009 after being questioned over corruption allegations involving family members.

There were no signs of foul play, police said, and according to Yonhap news agency Park was presumed to have taken his own life.

He had been reported missing by his daughter on Thursday, who said he had been unreachable after leaving a message that sounded like “last words”.

Park offered a general apology in a suicide note – handwritten with ink and brush – found at his official residence and released by city authorities.

“I’m sorry to everyone. I thank everyone who has been with me in my life,” he wrote, asking to be cremated and his ashes scattered at his parents’ graves. “I’m sorry to my family, to whom I only caused pain.”

“Bye everyone,” he signed off, without referring to the allegations against him.

He won three elections while promoting gender and social equality, and did not shy away from expressing his ambitions to replace incumbent President Moon Jae-in in 2022.

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