Park Won-soon

Park Won-soon (Korean: 박원순; February 11, 1955 or March 26, 1956 – July 9, 2020) was a South Korean politician, lawyer and activist who served as the mayor of Seoul from 2011 until his death in 2020. A member of the Democratic Party of Korea, he was the longest-serving mayor of Seoul. He died by suicide in July 2020 following allegations of sexual harassment. Prior to being elected as mayor, Park was a community and social justice activist, serving as a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. He wrote many books on transitional justice as international human rights lawyer and worked as the chief prosecutor for both North and South Korea for the first time in The Women's International War Crimes Tribunal on Japan's Military Sexual Slavery accusing the Showa Emperor. 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. As a mayor of Seoul, he was awarded for the first time in South Korea, Gothenburg Award for Sustainable Development for 'sharing city' and Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize, Singapore for changing the city into an inclusive, socially stable and innovative city. In July 2020, Park's former secretary accused him of four years of sexual harassment; Park died the next day, in an apparent suicide.