One of South Korea's most prominent elected officials, Park Won-soon, the longtime mayor of its capital, was found dead police, said on Friday, after he was reported missing by his daughter amid a criminal probe of an alleged impropriety.
Freddie Joyner has more.
Longtime Seoul City Mayor Park Won-soon was found dead according to police on Friday.
This comes after his daughter reported him missing at 5:17pm local time, saying his phone was off and that he had left a message "like a will." Hundreds of police took part in the hours-long search, utilizing both drones and dogs.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said the mayor's body was found at Mt.
Bugak in northern Seoul around midnight, near where his phone signal had last been detected.
The agency did not give a cause of death.
A police official told reporters at a televised briefing at the scene there was no sign of foul play, although a detailed investigation would be needed.
As mayor of the city of nearly 10 million people, Park was one of South Korea's most influential politicians and played a high-profile role in its response to the coronavirus pandemic.
He was seen as a potential presidential hopeful for the liberals in the 2022 presidential elections.
The Yonhap news agency said a former secretary of Park had filed a complaint on Wednesday over alleged incidents of sexual harassment.
Police said an investigation was underway after a criminal complaint had been lodged against Park, without elaborating.
Formerly a prominent human rights activist and lawyer, Park had been the mayor of Seoul since 2011, pursuing a slew of policies promoting gender equality.