Seoul mayor 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.
Earlier, search teams had scoured Waryong Park, where police say he was recorded on CCTV footage on Thursday. His last cell phone signal was detected Seongbuk-gu, where his body was ultimately found.