Mayor Of Seoul, Gone Missing for Seven Hours, Found Dead On Mountainside Of The Capital

3 years ago

The mayor of Seoul considered the second-most powerful official in South Korea -- has been found dead on a mountainside within the capital city.

Park Won-soon's body was found on Bukak mountain in Seoul's Seongbuk-gu neighborhood, just after midnight on Friday local time. The area is very close to his official residence in Jongno-gu.

Police did not reveal how the mayor died, in order to protect his privacy, but they have ruled out foul play.

No suicide note was left behind, and his belongings were found nearby, said Choi Ik-soo, an official at Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Crime department, during a briefing on Friday.

The 64-year-old was first reported missing by his daughter on Thursday evening, according to a police official with knowledge of the case.

For seven hours, nearly 600 police officers and firefighters, along with three rescue dogs, scoured the city for him. His body was ultimately found by a rescue dog and identified by firefighters.

The reason for Park’s disappearance wasn’t clear. The Seoul-based SBS television network reported that one of Park’s secretaries had lodged a complaint with police on Wednesday night over alleged sexual harassment such as unwanted physical contact that began in 2017.

The SBS report, which didn’t cite any source, said the secretary told police investigators that an unspecified number of other female employees at Seoul City Hall had suffered similar sexual harassment by Park.