A body of a man in his 60s found at Okjeongho, Imsil, Jeonbuk... Police suspect missing Jeonbuk construction company CEO

A body was found in Okjeongho Lake in Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk, and the police began verifying whether it is Mr. A, the construction company CEO of the Saemangeum solar power project contractor who went missing.

The Jeonbuk Fire Headquarters reported that at around 6:47 p.m. on the 28th, after the search for the missing person ended, a resident fishing near Unam Bridge on the Jeonju side of Okjeongho Lake called to report, "There is a body floating on the water of the lake."

Okjeongho, Imsil-gun, Jeonbuk. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Unam Bridge crosses Okjeongho Lake and is known to be about 1.2 km in a straight line from a nearby rest area where Mr. A’s vehicle was found. The police and fire authorities stated that the body was about 3 meters from the water’s edge and was identifiable with the naked eye.

The police said, "We presume it to be Mr. A, the construction company CEO who went missing while under prosecution investigation for corruption allegations related to the Gunsan Saemangeum onshore solar power project, but it is not yet conclusive," adding, "An investigation is underway with witnesses regarding the circumstances of the body’s discovery."

Meanwhile, Mr. A’s wife reported to the police on the morning of the 15th at around 8:40 a.m. that "her husband, who had undergone prosecution questioning, said he was struggling and then left the house." After discovering Mr. A’s vehicle near Okjeongho Lake, the fire authorities and police searched the lake and surrounding areas for two weeks.

Mr. A’s company was selected as the preferred negotiator for the Saemangeum onshore solar power project in 2020, but issues related to the selection process surfaced during the Board of Audit and Inspection’s review last year. The prosecution has been conducting a rigorous investigation until recently.