The mayor of the South Korean capital Seoul, Park Won Soon, was reported missing by his daughter on Thursday, national broadcasters and the news agency Yonhap reported.
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Police are conducting a search for the 64-year-old using drones and tracking dogs, although by 7 pm (1000 GMT) no sign of Park was reported.
The mayor left his apartment about four to five hours earlier, saying something that sounded like “last words,” his daughter was quoted as saying.
The city administration of the 10 million-strong metropolis previously announced that the mayor had cancelled his appointments for the day.
According to reports, Park also turned off his smartphone.
The last signal transmitted from the device was located close to a temple in the north-eastern part of the city, where police were concentrating their search.
Park was re-elected twice, after winning the mayoral election for the first time in 2011 as an independent candidate, later joining the Social Liberal Democratic Party of South Korean President Moon Jae In.
Park formerly worked as a human rights lawyer and has been active in a civil rights organisation for years.