A massive police search is underway in South Korea after the mayor of Seoul went missing. His daughter said he left a phone message that sounded like a will prior to his disappearance.
Mayor Park Won-soon did not show up to work on Thursday and had cleared his schedule, Kim Ji-hyeong, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official, told the Associated Press. Park’s daughter said she became concerned after not being able to reach her father and said he had left “a will-like” verbal message before he disappeared.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is leading the search, and about 300-400 officers have been mobilized to help find Park in the 10-million-person city. A drone is also being used to search for the mayor. Investigators are scouring the Sungbuk neighborhood where Park’s phone signal was last detected before it was turned off.
Park is a popular political figure and human rights lawyer who was first elected mayor of Seoul in 2011 and is the city’s first person to be reelected to a third mayoral term. He is being eyed as a potential presidential candidate in South Korea’s 2022 elections.
Although the reason for Park’s disappearance remains a mystery, South Korea’s SBS television reported that one of the mayor’s secretaries had filed a sexual harassment complaint against Park on Wednesday. Park’s office and the police department would not confirm the veracity of the news report.
