Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon found dead, left note saying 'sorry to all people'

More details emerged Friday about the death of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, whose body was found late Thursday in wooded hills near South Korea's capital after he had been reported missing.

Park, 64, a longtime civic activist and human rights lawyer before he was elected Seoul mayor in 2011, left a note that said "sorry to all people," according to South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, which is government-funded.

Police found Park's body near the last location transmitted by his cellphone, which had been switched off. His daughter raised the alarm to police after he left her what resembled a "will-like" verbal message before vanishing. Police said Friday there were no signs of foul play at the site, but refused to disclose Park's cause of death.

Missing Seoul mayor: Body found after search with 600 officers and drones

Seoul's city government said the note left by Park at his residence said he wanted to "thank everyone who has been with me in my life." It continued with a request that his remains be cremated and scattered around his parents' graves.

The three-term mayor's body was located after a search involving more than 600 hundred police and rescue workers, sniffer dogs and drones.

Park was Seoul's longest-serving mayor and known for his progressive policies on the environment and urban regeneration. A member of President Moon Jae-in’s liberal Democratic Party, he was considered a potential 2022 presidential candidate.

SBS television, a South Korean network, reported Thursday one of Park’s secretaries had lodged a complaint with police the night before he disappeared over alleged sexual harassment. Police confirmed a complaint against Park had been filed but cited privacy issues in refusing to elaborate, including on whether it was about sexual behavior.

"Saddened to learn about the death of Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. My condolences to his family and to the people of Seoul during this difficult time," U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris on Friday tweeted.

Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference at Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea on July 8, 2020.
Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference at Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea on July 8, 2020.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon found dead, left note: 'sorry to all people'