Jinseongjun: "Disputing Mayor Park's Funeral Is a Political Intent... An Insult to Citizens"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Wondara] Jin Seong-jun, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, criticized the objections to the funeral of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon as politically motivated. The funeral committee decided to hold the funeral for five days as a Seoul Special City Mayor’s funeral, which has raised concerns about secondary harm to the victims.

On the morning of the 13th, Jin appeared on MBC radio and responded to the question, "There are many objections to holding the funeral as that of the Seoul Mayor," by saying, "I think it is natural to hold the funeral of a sitting mayor as a Seoul Mayor’s funeral. Criticizing the funeral itself seems to have political intentions." He added, "One million citizens participated in the online memorial, and tens of thousands visited the on-site funeral hall or memorial altar. This cannot but be seen as an insult and offense to those people."

Regarding the fact that over 550,000 people signed a Blue House petition opposing the funeral being held as that of the Seoul Special City Mayor, Jin said, "Of course, depending on judgment, there can be objections, but that assumes as a given that Mayor Park is the perpetrator, which also constitutes defamation of the deceased. This needs to be carefully examined."

When asked about the possibility of secondary harm from the victims’ perspective, he said, "I find it hard to agree. Paying respects or expressing condolences is a voluntary choice," and added, "I believe that itself should be recognized and respected." He also said, "If necessary, investigations into the controversial issues can be conducted," but noted, "There remains the problem of whether the truth can be revealed when the person accused is absent, having passed away."

Jin, who served as Seoul Deputy Mayor for Political Affairs during Mayor Park’s tenure, was asked about his personal feelings. He said, "Having worked with Mayor Park, I know well that he had plans and projects to open a new era and devoted himself more than anyone else to realizing them. I don’t know how to express the sense of loss," adding, "Our society has lost an outstanding innovator." He continued, "It is truly unfortunate that his absence came about through an extreme choice," and said, "It is regrettable that he did not clarify or honestly apologize for his mistakes while alive."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.