(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Park Won-soon, the longtime mayor of South Korea’s capital, Seoul, has been found dead after he was reported missing by his daughter amid a criminal probe and media reports of alleged sexual harassment.
His body was found in wooded hills in northern Seoul at about midnight on Friday, more than seven hours after police launched a massive search for him.
Police said there were no signs of foul play and did not give a cause of Park’s death.
The apparent suicide came after one of Park’s former secretaries filed a complaint on Wednesday alleging the 64-year-old had sexually harassed her, the Yonhap news agency reported.
Police confirmed a criminal complaint had been made against Park but did not elaborate on the nature of the allegations.
“I apologise to everyone,” Park wrote in a note left on his desk and released by the city government with the permission of his family.
“I thank everyone who was with me in my lifetime. I am so sorry to my family, to whom I have only caused pain. Please cremate my body and scatter the ash over my parents’ grave,” the note said.
