Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon found dead after going missing, note reads 'I apologise'

A well-known elected official of South Korea and mayor of Seoul, Park Won-soon, was found dead on July 10 after he was reported missing by his daughter. Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said that Park’s body was found at Mt Bugak in northern Seoul after police started the search involving hundreds of officers, drones and sniffer dogs.

Police said that there was no sign of foul play, suggesting a possible suicide but didn’t give the cause of death. According to local media reports, one of Park’s former secretaries had filed a complaint of sexual harassment against the late mayor but the police are yet to reveal the nature of allegations. The local administration released a note, left behind by Park, in which he apologised to everyone without mentioning any allegations. 

“I apologise to everyone,” read the note left on his desk. “I thank everyone who was with me in my lifetime. I am so sorry to my family, to whom I have only caused pain.”

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While there has not been any confirmation that the sexual harassment allegation against Park played a role in his apparent suicide, the timeline of events has triggered speculations around it. He reportedly cancelled a meeting with a presidential official scheduled for July 9 and didn’t show up for work, said an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government.

Potential presidential hopeful

Park was elected as Seoul’s mayor in 2011 and was serving his third and final term after getting re-elected in June 2019. Reports suggest that he was being considered as a presidential candidate for 2022 elections from President Moon Jae-in's liberal Democratic Party. Park, known for his activism and fight for human rights as a lawyer, was the first mayor of Seoul; to begin a third term. 

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(Image: AP)