The funeral service for late Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon was held online on Monday due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The service was held at 8:30 a.m. at City Hall and webcast live via the YouTube channel of the city government for 40 minutes. 

The number of physical attendees was limited to around 100, including bereaved family members, senior city officials and representatives from the ruling party and civic groups. 

During the service, Seoul National University Professor Emeritus Paik Nak-chung said in a speech that now is the time for mourning. He said a comprehensive study on Park and the historical assessment of his achievements as a public figure will, and should, begin after mourning. 

Paik made the remarks as Park apparently took his own life just a day after a former Seoul City employee reportedly filed a police complaint accusing Park of sexual harassment.

Democratic Party Chairperson Lee Hae-chan also gave a speech. He said Park could be considered the very symbol of South Korea’s civil rights movement, citing his achievements as a human rights lawyer and civic activist.