The sudden death of Seoul's mayor, reportedly implicated in a sexual harassment complaint, has caused an outpouring of public sympathy even as it has raised questions about a man who built his career as a reform-minded politician and self-described feminist.
Park Won-soon was found dead on a wooded hill in northern Seoul early Friday, about seven hours after his daughter reported to police he had left her a "will-like" verbal message and then left their home. Authorities launched a massive search for the 64-year-old Park before rescue dogs found his body.
Police said there was no sign of foul play at the site though they refused to disclose the cause of death. On Friday morning, Seoul officials said they were disclosing what they called Park's "will" found at his residence at the request of his family.
"I feel sorry to everyone. I thank everyone who has been with me in my life," the note shown on TV said. It continued with a request that his remains be cremated and scattered around his parents' graves.
Park was a huge figure in South Korean politics. As a former human rights lawyer, Park led two of South Korea's most influential civic groups and was mayor of Seoul, the South Korean capital city with 10 million people, since 2011. He was widely considered a leading liberal candidate for president when his political ally and current President Moon Jae-in's single five-year term ends in 2022.
His death shocked many.
His supporters wailed and shouted slogans like "We love you" and "We are sorry" when his body arrived at a Seoul hospital. His name was the most popular search word in main portal sites, and condolence messages flooded social media.
But anti-Park sentiments also erupted amid media reports that one of his female secretaries had lodged a complaint with police on Wednesday night over alleged sexual harassment over an extended period. Police only confirmed that a complaint against Park had been filed but cited privacy issues in refusing to elaborate, including about whether the complaint was about sexual behaviour.
Some critics questioned the image of a man who has portrayed himself as "a feminist mayor" dedicated to gender equality and a vocal supporter of the "Me Too" movement.
During his days as a human rights lawyer, Park won South Korea's first sexual harassment conviction in 1998, following a years long legal battle where he represented a Seoul National University research assistant who accused a professor of making sexual advances and firing her after she rejected them.
As mayor, he appointed a special adviser on gender equality issues and introduced policies aimed at designing safer urban environments for women and providing affordable housing for working single women.
Professor Yi Han Sang at Korea University criticized the Seoul city government for planning to establish a public mourning area near its building and use official funds for Park's funeral set for next week. He said the city government must stop acts that could help lead to public criticism of the victim and focus on thinking about how to protect her and find the truth about the allegation.
There are worries that public mourning for Park could lead to criticism of the alleged victim, whose identity is largely unknown.
The sudden death of Seoul's mayor, reportedly implicated in a sexual harassment complaint, has caused an outpouring of public sympathy even as it has raised questions about a man who built his career as a reform-minded politician and self-described feminist.
報導稱，首爾市長樸元淳因涉嫌性騷擾被起訴。他的突然身亡，一方面引起了公眾同情，另一方面也引發了人們對這位自稱女權主義者的改革派政治家的質疑。
Park Won-soon was found dead on a wooded hill in northern Seoul early Friday, about seven hours after his daughter reported to police he had left her a "will-like" verbal message and then left their home. Authorities launched a massive search for the 64-year-old Park before rescue dogs found his body.
樸元淳的遺體在首爾北部的一個山區被發現。約7個小時前，市長女兒報警稱，父親出門前的留言聽起來像是遺言。隨後警方展開了大規模搜索，直到搜救犬發現其遺體，享年64歲。
Police said there was no sign of foul play at the site though they refused to disclose the cause of death. On Friday morning, Seoul officials said they were disclosing what they called Park's "will" found at his residence at the request of his family.
關於樸元淳的具體死因，警方拒絕透露，但表示，案發現場無他殺跡象。據首爾官方消息，10日上午，樸元淳的遺書在其官邸被發現。經家屬同意後，這份遺書向外界公布。
"I feel sorry to everyone. I thank everyone who has been with me in my life," the note shown on TV said. It continued with a request that his remains be cremated and scattered around his parents' graves.
在遺書中，樸元淳寫道：「向所有人致歉。感謝陪伴我生命的所有人。」同時他在遺書中要求火葬後將其骨灰撒在父母的墓地。
Park was a huge figure in South Korean politics. As a former human rights lawyer, Park led two of South Korea's most influential civic groups and was mayor of Seoul, the South Korean capital city with 10 million people, since 2011. He was widely considered a leading liberal candidate for president when his political ally and current President Moon Jae-in's single five-year term ends in 2022.
樸元淳是韓國政壇的重量級人物——人權律師出身，在韓國兩大最具影響力的民間團體中擔任領導職務，並於2011年起擔任首爾市長。首爾作為韓國首都，全市人口近1000萬。作為現任總統文在寅的政治盟友，因其5年任期即將結束，樸元淳還被認為是2022年總統大選的自由派頭號候選人。
His death shocked many.
His supporters wailed and shouted slogans like "We love you" and "We are sorry" when his body arrived at a Seoul hospital. His name was the most popular search word in main portal sites, and condolence messages flooded social media.
樸元淳身亡震驚韓國。
其遺體被送至首爾大學醫院時，眾多支持者慟哭流涕，呼喊著口號：「我們愛你」、「感到遺憾」。他的名字成為各大門戶網站頻率最高的搜索詞，社交媒體也被弔唁信息刷屏。
But anti-Park sentiments also erupted amid media reports that one of his female secretaries had lodged a complaint with police on Wednesday night over alleged sexual harassment over an extended period. Police only confirmed that a complaint against Park had been filed but cited privacy issues in refusing to elaborate, including about whether the complaint was about sexual behaviour.
但同時，也出現了很多反對樸元淳的聲音，因為有媒體報導稱，8日晚上，他的前任女秘書到警局指控他涉嫌長期性騷擾。警方證實，此前確實收到了一份控告樸元淳的起訴書。但警方以保護隱私為由，拒絕透露任何信息，包括該控訴是否與性騷擾有關。
Some critics questioned the image of a man who has portrayed himself as "a feminist mayor" dedicated to gender equality and a vocal supporter of the "Me Too" movement.
樸市長自稱為女權主義者，致力於實現性別平等，並公開支持「Me Too」運動。不少評論家對這一「人設」提出質疑。
During his days as a human rights lawyer, Park won South Korea's first sexual harassment conviction in 1998, following a 6-year long legal battle where he represented a Seoul National University research assistant who accused a professor of making sexual advances and firing her after she rejected them.
身為人權律師，樸元淳曾作為原告律師參與「首爾大學女助教遭性騷擾」一案，即首爾大學女助教控訴教授多次對其進行性騷擾未果後將其開除。經過6年艱苦卓絕的抗爭，於1998年最終贏得勝訴判決，該案成為韓國歷史上首起獲得成功的性騷擾訴訟。
As mayor, he appointed a special adviser on gender equality issues and introduced policies aimed at designing safer urban environments for women and providing affordable housing for working single women.
作為市長，他任命了一名特別顧問處理性別平等問題，推行了許多政策，旨在為女性創造更安全的城市環境，以及為單身職業女性提供經濟型住房。
Professor Yi Han Sang at Korea University criticized the Seoul city government for planning to establish a public mourning area near its building and use official funds for Park's funeral set for next week. He said the city government must stop acts that could help lead to public criticism of the victim and focus on thinking about how to protect her and find the truth about the allegation.
首爾市政府將在市政府大樓前設置焚香所，供市民前來弔唁，並利用政府資金為其舉行為期一周的葬禮。對此，高麗大學教授Yi Han Sang表示批評，他認為，市政府必須停止這種行為，因為受害女性可能因此遭受言論攻擊；政府應該專注於如何保護受害女性並查明真相。
There are worries that public mourning for Park could lead to criticism of the alleged victim, whose identity is largely unknown.
有人擔心，為樸元淳舉行的公眾悼念可能給所謂的受害人帶來非議。這位舉報者的真實身份尚不清楚。