Seoul May Elect First Female Mayor as Scandal Stirs Moon’s Party
- Women are leading polls for Seoul mayor election in April
- Seoul mayor committed suicide after sexual harassment claims
The suicide of Seoul’s mayor in the wake of sexual harassment allegations shamed South Korea’s male-dominated society. The April election to replace him is now turning into a battle over women’s rights that could impact the legacy of self-described “feminist president” Moon Jae-in.
His Democratic Party is expected to put up veteran female politician Park Young-sun to try and retain the mayoral seat in Seoul, which is often seen as a springboard to the presidency. Her main challenger is looking to be Na Kyung-won, one of the most prominent female conservative leaders of the main opposition People Power Party, which has risen in national polls ahead of a presidential election scheduled for next year. The parties will make their official selections in early March.