DISTRESSING

Seoul Mayor Park Found Dead as Sexual Assault Allegations Were Set to Be Broadcast

His daughter told Korean authorities that he left a “will-like” note, and disappeared hours before a TV program was set to broadcast sexual-assault allegations.

Officials in South Korea say the body of Park Won-soon, the mayor of Seoul, has been found, hours after his daughter said he left a “will-like” note to his family and set off a massive search across the Korean capital. The AP reports police have confirmed Park’s body was discovered near a traditional restaurant and banquet facility in the city’s hills, after officials traced his last phone signal to the Sungbuk neighborhood before it was switched off. AFP reports a sexual-assault complaint was filed by a former assistant to Park on Wednesday night, and an investigative report on the previously unknown case was set to be broadcast Thursday evening. The mayor was reported missing by his daughter, who is said to have told police that he left a concerning note before leaving the family home; Park’s office told authorities he had unexpectedly cleared his schedule for the day and they became concerned when he didn’t arrive there. Park, who was a member of President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party, was considered to be a potential presidential candidate for the liberals in the 2022 elections.

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