Seoul: The Mayor of this South Korean capital was found dead at Bugaksan mountain here on Thursday, hours after his daughter filed a missing report, claiming that her father had left behind a message that read like a will and his phone has remained switched off, since then. Park Won-soon, the 64-year-old former human rights lawyer, had been the Mayor since 2011. With his re-election last year, he became the first Mayor of the city to be elected for the third time. His election to the second most powerful position in the country, nearly two decades ago, had opened the corridors of politics for the local people.
A longtime civic activist, Park was expected to run for the 2022 Presidential elections from the liberals side, CNN reported. The South Korean Police came into action soon after registering of the complaint and launched a search operation to trace Park Won-soon, whose mobile phone''s signal was last accessed near Gilsang Temple in the northeastern Seoul ward of Seongbuk. The Mayor was reported to have left his residence in the central Seoul ward of Jongno at around 1044 hrs (local time), and was believed to be carrying a black backpack.
Government sources confirmed that Won-soon did not show up for work on Thursday, citing health issues. He had cancelled his entire day''s schedule, including a meeting at his office, scheduled for 1640 hrs (local time).
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