Former People Power Party lawmaker Jang Je-won (58), who was under police investigation for sexual violence allegations, was found dead, shocking the public. Meanwhile, Na Jong-ho, a psychiatrist who appeared on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block,' shared a post he wrote five years ago regarding the death of former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon.

Na Jong-ho, a professor of psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine, quoted part of a post he wrote for Kakao Brunch Story titled "Please empathize with them too. In front of the death of the late Mayor Park Won-soon" on social media on July 1. The post expresses strong opposition to the 'glamorization of suicide.'

He said, "I dream of the day when the stigma against families affected by suicide disappears. However, at the same time, I strongly oppose the glamorization of suicide. The societal atmosphere that views suicide as honorable is one of the factors that increases the suicide rate. People who contemplate suicide often see it as the only escape. For their sake, we must eliminate the atmosphere that wraps suicide in a noble death and treats it as an absolution for everything."

He continued, "As a psychiatrist, I am concerned about the impact of how our society honors the death of Mayor Park on victims of sexual violence and harassment, who have experienced similar situations as the women who accused him, regardless of gender."

He added, "Trauma is more frequent than we think. The overwhelming majority of trauma victims are women, especially young women," and noted, "Patients who have experienced trauma often re-experience their trauma and feel extreme stress when encountering similar situations. In severe cases, this leads to suicide attempts."

Professor Na further requested, "I ask you to empathize with the human agony and pain that Mayor Park felt, and to understand the feelings of the victimized women." He emphasized, "Consider how much courage it took for an ordinary citizen to sue a mayor with such immense power, how many sleepless nights they endured, and the shock they must have felt when the defendant committed suicide as soon as the lawsuit was filed." He added, "When we tried to bury it as if nothing happened, please consider the message that the way we honor his death sends to the victims. As a psychiatrist, I sincerely worry about the well-being of the victimized women."

Former lawmaker Jang, who served three terms in Busan's Sasang District, was found dead at around 11:40 p.m. on March 31 in an officetel in Gangdong District, Seoul. A suicide note was found at the scene. Police stated, "No signs of foul play were discovered."

Former lawmaker Jang was under police investigation after being accused of sexually assaulting a female secretary during his time as vice president of a university. The secretary's side was set to hold a press conference at 10 a.m. on April 1 to explain the circumstances of the allegation, but it was canceled following Jang's death.

Former lawmaker Jang has denied all allegations. It appears that the police investigation will conclude as 'without prosecution' due to the death of the accused.

Former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was accused of sexually harassing a secretary in 2020. At that time, he took his own life before a full police investigation began, and the case was closed as 'without prosecution.'

If you or someone you know is struggling with difficult thoughts such as depression, you can receive counseling from a suicide prevention hotline at ☎ 109, available 24/7.

[Photo] Broadcast capture, tvN

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