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| Park Eun-ji |
Park Eun-ji, a deputy head of the minor leftist Labor Party, was found dead in her home in southern Seoul in an apparent suicide, Saturday, the International Women's Day, police said Sunday.
Park, 35, was found hanging from the window of a terrace around 4:30 a.m. by her nine-year-old son who called police.
She is said to have suffered from depression since she divorced her husband, a former student activist; and has been raising her son alone for more than a year.
Park did not leave a suicide note.
A Korean language education graduate of Korea University and a former middle school teacher, Park started her political career with the New Progressive Party (NPP) headed by Roh Hoe-chan and Shim Sang-jung.
Most of its influential members, including Roh and Shim left the party, and the NPP failed to win any seats in the National Assembly in the April 2012 general election.
Park was chosen as the party's spokeswoman in March 2012. The party was dissolved in response to its very limited support and re-created as the Labor Party in 2013.
Roh expressed his condolence for Park via his Twitter account. He wrote, "I sent you a rose for International Women's Day, but you left early morning today. I am sorry. I am sorry again. Take an eternal rest at a place without cares and worries. Take a rest until we meet again."
Park was spokeswoman as well as the deputy head of the party, but gave up the former post on Jan. 17 this year. She had been active in social network platforms.
An outspoken critic of President Park Geun-hye and her administration, Park had mentioned the difficulties of being a politician in an interview with netizens at an online community called Ssultimes.com.
Asked when she wanted to quit politics, she said, "When I was having a drink and an honest talk with a friend, a person from the next table asked if I was spokeswoman Park Eun-ji. I realized the person was listening to everything!"
She said she didn't take political donations, and members of her party were living on minimum wage. "It's a fact that we are in financial difficulties," she said.
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