Seoul mayor missing, his phone turned off, search underway

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP



SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The mayor of South Korean capital Seoul is missing Thursday after leaving a verbal message that his daughter described as sounding like a will, police said. A massive search operation is underway for him. Police officers said they are looking for Mayor Park Won-soon at a small hill in Seoul’s Sungbuk neighborhood where his mobile phone signal was last detected. They said Park’s mobile phone was currently turned off.

His daughter called police on Thursday afternoon and said her father left “a will-like” message before leaving their home 4-5 hours earlier. The daughter didn’t explain the contents of the message, said one of the officers at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency who is responsible for Park’s search operation. The daughter said she decided to call police because she couldn’t reach her father on the phone, the officer said, requesting anonymity because she was not authorized to speak to media on the matter.

About 150 officers, a drone and a police dog have have been mobilized for Park’s search, according to police. Kim Ji-hyeong, an official from the Seoul Metropolitan Government, confirmed that Park did not show up for work on Thursday because of unspecified reasons and canceled all his schedules, including a meeting with a presidential official at his Seoul City Hall office.

A longtime civic activist and human rights lawyer, Park was elected as Seoul mayor in 2011 and became the city’s first mayor to be voted into a third term in June last year. A member of President Moon Jae-in’s liberal Democratic Party, Park has been considered a potential presidential hopeful for the liberals in the 2022 elections. Park has mostly maintained his activist colors as mayor, criticizing what he described as the country’s growing social and economic inequalities and the traditionally corrupt ties between large businesses and politicians.

Read more: https://apnews.com/b3d9b24194e7932e9ac3689ac39dd4be

---

I don't hold out high hopes for this.

[soothsayer]

1. Ruh roh

[SledDriver]

2. Kidnapped by the Norks?

[Laelth]

3. Sounds like a suicide.

That’s sad.



-Laelth

[rainin]

4. Sounds like the world may have lost another good one

Why? A small handful of people are literally dismantling the country and yet, they survive, while so many good men and women are gone. So sad

[Cicada]

5. Suicide by South Korean politicians has happened several times

Charges of corruption have triggered some suicides. Obviously South Korea has much to be proud of. With limited resources they have become enormously productive in diverse fields. They help each other out, they are concerned about each other.,As an admirer of the country it hurts me that they are often overly harsh about human failings. I personally believe that they should be more forgiving of themselves in many cases. In our Christan culture we say who among us has not sinned. I think the South Koreans should not be so harsh on themselves.

[Laelth]

7. Hear! Hear! n/t

-Laelth

[AllyCat]

6. Oh no! This doesn't sound good.

I hope he is found safely.

[FakeNoose]

8. Maybe it's health reasons?

Or maybe Putin decided it was time for him to go?

Just sayin'

This is very sad and discouraging. Trying to keep positive thoughts for now.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. I've been wondering if there was despondency regarding

the coronavirus mess (where they had experience with an earlier SARS virus and managed to get this one under control early on, but are now experiencing a setback with a 2nd wave coming through the city - which is the biggest city in the country and has a larger population than NYC).

[BumRushDaShow]

10. And update - he was found dead

Seoul Mayor Found Dead After Daughter Reports Him Missing

By Choe Sang-Hun

July 9, 2020
Updated 12:19 p.m. ET

SEOUL, South Korea — The mayor of Seoul, South Korea, the country’s most powerful official after the president, was found dead by the police, hours after his daughter reported him missing, the police said Friday. A Seoul police officer confirmed the discovery of Mr. Park’s body in a hill in northern Seoul, but said he could offer no further detail until there was a formal announcement.

His disappearance came a day after a secretary in the mayor’s office told the police that he had been sexually harassing her since 2017, two Seoul television stations reported, attributing the information to unidentified police sources.

Mr. Park, 64, canceled his official schedule for Thursday and called in sick to City Hall. His daughter told the police that he had left home after leaving a cryptic, “will-like message,” according to Yonhap, the national news agency, which cited an anonymous police source. When Mr. Park had not returned home after five hours, his daughter called the police. On Thursday evening, 580 police officers and emergency medical workers, aided by police dogs, searched the hills in northern Seoul.

The mayor of Seoul, a city of 10 million, is considered the second most powerful elected official in South Korea after the president. Mr. Park, who is serving his third term, has often been named as a possible candidate to replace President Moon Jae-in, whose single five-year term is set to end in 2022. Mr. Park has been the mayor of Seoul since 2011. His latest term was scheduled to end in 2022.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/09/world/asia/seoul-mayor-dead.html