Possessed Writing Tools and Mobile Phone
But No Suicide Note Left at the Scene
770 Police and Fire Personnel Search
Rescue Dog Found After 7 Hours
No Signs of Homicide in On-Site Autopsy
Former Secretary Accuses of Sexual Harassment
Case Likely to End Without Prosecution
[Asia Economy reporters Lee Gwan-ju and Song Seung-yoon] The late Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, left the mayoral residence in Gahoe-dong alone at 10:44 a.m. on the 9th. The black backpack on his back contained a water bottle, business cards, writing tools, and a mobile phone. There was no note containing a will.
Nine minutes later, he arrived at Waryong Park at the foot of Bukaksan Mountain. He traveled by taxi up to this point and then proceeded on foot toward the mountain. The last signal from his mobile phone was detected about five hours later at 3:49 p.m., near the Finnish Ambassador’s residence in Korea (around Bukak Golf Practice Range), approximately 2 km from Waryong Park. It has not yet been confirmed whether anyone spoke with Mayor Park during the approximately 2 km movement over five hours.
At around 5:17 p.m., Mayor Park’s daughter reported to 112 that “my father left 4 to 5 hours ago saying strange things, and his phone is turned off.” The police began searching at 5:30 p.m., and the fire department joined 12 minutes later. Police and fire authorities deployed 580 personnel, search drones, search dogs, and rescue dogs, conducting a first search for about four hours until 9:30 p.m., but failed to find Mayor Park.
An hour later, at 10:30 p.m., police and fire authorities increased the search personnel to about 770 and divided the area into zones including Waryong Park, the entrance to Kookmin University, Bukak Pavilion, and the “Bear’s House” on Bukaksan Mountain, beginning a second search. At 12:01 a.m. on the 10th, about an hour and a half after the search began, the fire department’s rescue dog “Sobaek” found Mayor Park’s body on the Bukaksan Fortress Trail between Sukjeongmun and Samcheonggak in a remote mountain area. It was about seven hours after the missing person report was filed. The discovery site is a secluded area. The police stated through on-site autopsy and inspection that there is no suspicion of homicide.
Police forensic investigators are transporting the body of Park Won-soon, Mayor of Seoul, in the early morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Mayor Park’s body was placed at Seoul National University Hospital at 3:30 a.m. Chief Investigator Choi Ik-soo of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Criminal Division said at a briefing at Waryong Park at 2 a.m., “We are analyzing CCTV footage to trace the route from the mayoral residence to the discovery location,” and added, “We will proceed with the investigation according to procedures for handling unnatural death cases.” When asked about the last person he spoke to, he replied, “We need to investigate.”
With Mayor Park’s death, the case in which a former secretary accused him of sexual harassment will be closed as “no prosecution.” According to the Prosecutor’s Office Case Handling Rules, if a suspect under investigation dies, the prosecutor must dismiss the case as “no prosecution.” According to the police, former secretary A, who worked for Mayor Park from 2017, visited the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency with a lawyer on the 8th, filed a complaint against Mayor Park, and was questioned. It is known that A testified that she was repeatedly sexually harassed by Mayor Park.
However, it has not been confirmed whether this accusation was the direct cause of his extreme choice. It is also unclear whether Mayor Park, who carried business cards and a water bottle, left the residence with the decision to take such an extreme step. There were reports that he had a phone call with an acquaintance around 2 p.m., but the police said, “We need to investigate.”
※If you have difficult-to-talk-about worries such as depression or if your family or acquaintances are experiencing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling at suicide prevention hotline ☎1393, mental health counseling ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Life Phone ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
