The face of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon is carved on a watermelon that is being displayed at an event hosted by the metropolitan government on Aug. 19, 2017. (Yonhap)
Here is yet another example of someone in Korea doing something wacky to show their displeasure with something:
A 79-year-old man, identified only by his last name Lee, lies down on the floor after stabbing himself in the abdomen with a weapon in front of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon (L) at the city hall on Feb. 24, 2017. (Yonhap)
An elderly man unsatisfied with the capital city’s development policy stabbed himself while Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was delivering a congratulatory speech at an opening of an exhibition at the city hall Friday, municipal officials and witnesses said.
The 79-year old man, identified only by his last name Lee, approached Mayor Park with a weapon at around 10 a.m. and stabbed himself in the abdomen, after shouting “Can you say you are a mayor?” and “I need to die,” according to the witnesses. He was drunk when the incident took place.
Lee was rushed to a nearby hospital and is in stable condition.
He reportedly had conflicts with a district office after the city government decided not to carry out a development project. The amount of compensation suggested by the district office fell short of what was asked by a development committee headed by Lee. [Yonhap]
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, a member of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea, holds a press conference at the National Assembly in Seoul on Jan. 26, 2017, to announce he will not run for president, citing his failure to win the hearts of voters. A poll, taken by RealMeter last week, shows his approval rating standing at just 3.4 percent. (Yonhap)
It will be interesting to see if South Korea goes the way of the US with affirmative action laws:
With a soaring number of migrants in society, Korea should push for affirmative action measures to help curb discrimination, promote coexistence with those from various backgrounds and bring about inclusive growth, Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon said.
The city government has been working with the International Organization for Migration for the first International Migrants Day campaign in Seoul to kick off Thursday, aimed at promoting awareness about migrants by highlighting their contributions to Korea.
Given rampant bias that often turns into hate speech, affirmative action plans similar to those in the U.S. will play a significant role in boosting public understanding about migrants and building a social safety net for the minorities, Park said.
“It will take a long time to practically achieve equal rights in society as far as (discrimination) remains embedded in the people’s subconscious, which is why I think we need affirmative action,” he said in a recent interview with The Korea Herald. [Korea Herald]
