Police Hand Over Park Won-soon's Cell Phone to Bereaved Family... Opposition Seoul Mayoral Candidates Say "Unacceptable"

The portrait of the late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, is heading to Seoul Memorial Park after the funeral ceremony at Seoul City Hall on the 13th. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Opposition candidates for the Seoul mayoral election have collectively criticized the news that the police handed over the work phone of the late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon to his bereaved family.

Former lawmaker Geum Tae-seop criticized the police's handling on the 15th via Facebook, saying, "Considering the widespread secondary harm caused by political interests rather than helping the victims, is it really acceptable to hand over a Seoul city-owned phone to the bereaved family in this manner?"

He added, "Democratic Party politicians, including lawmakers from women's groups, have inflicted severe wounds on the victims. Shouldn't the police and Seoul city take a balanced stance?" He expressed concern that such incidents could become more frequent if the autonomous police system is implemented.

Former lawmaker Geum said, "With the autonomous police system, the relationship between metropolitan local government heads and the police will become far closer than it is now," and "Unlike advanced countries where local police were established first and then central police (such as the FBI) were created to respond to metropolitan crimes, in our country, the central government artificially creates the autonomous police system and 'delegates' it downward. Therefore, there is no culture or practice to guarantee neutrality and objectivity."

He stated, "In this by-election, there should be discussions on ways for the autonomous police not to be subordinated to the Seoul or Busan mayors and to maintain objectivity," and added, "I am curious about Seoul city's position on today's situation and the police's stance."

Former Songpa District Mayor Park Chun-hee also criticized, saying, "Evidence of former Mayor Park's sexual harassment is disappearing," and "Seoul city is still operated by Park Won-soon's faction and is engrossed in concealing that ugly sexual harassment."

He pointed out, "The phone contains text messages and photos related to former Mayor Park's sexual harassment allegations," and "There is a risk that this evidence will disappear due to actions by Seoul city and the bereaved family."

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