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WORLD NEWS Friday 10 July 2020
Missing Seoul mayor's body found after massive search

By HYUNG-JIN KIM and KIM lodged a complaint with
TONG-HYUNG police on Wednesday night
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — over alleged sexual harass-
The missing mayor of South ment such as unwanted
Korea's capital, reportedly physical contact that be-
embroiled in sexual ha- gan in 2017. The SBS re-
rassment allegations, was port, which didn't cite any
found dead early Friday, source, said the secretary
more than half a day af- told police investigators
ter giving his daughter a that an unspecified num-
will-like message and then ber of other female em-
leaving home, police said. ployees at Seoul City Hall
Police said they located had suffered similar sexual
Park Won-soon's body near harassment by Park.
a traditional restaurant in MBC television carried a
wooded hills in northern similar report.
Seoul, more than seven Choi, the police officer,
hours after they launched confirmed that a com-
a massive search for him. plaint was filed with police
Choi Ik-su, an officer from against Park on Wednes-
the Seoul Metropolitan Po- day. He refused to provide
lice Agency, told reporters further details, citing priva-
there were no signs of foul cy issues.
play and no suicide note Police officer Lee Byeong-
had been found at the site seok told reporters that Park
or in Park's residence. He was last identified by a se-
refused to elaborate on the curity camera at 10:53 a.m.
cause of Park's death. at the entrance to the hills,
Choi said rescue dogs Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference at Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South more than six hours before
found Park's body, and Korea Wednesday, July 8, 2020. his daughter called police
police had recovered his Associated Press to report him missing.
bag, cellphone and busi- Fire officer Jeong Jin-hyang
ness cards. responsible for the search His daughter called police to work on Thursday for un- told reporters on Thursday
His daughter called police operation. after he couldn't reach her specified reasons and had night that rescuers used
on Thursday afternoon and Police said they mobilized father on the phone, the canceled all of his sched- dogs to search dangerous
said her father had given about 600 police and fire Seoul police officer said, ule, including a meeting areas on the hills.
her "a will-like" verbal mes- officers, drones and track- requesting anonymity be- with a presidential official Park, 64, a longtime civic
sage in the morning before ing dogs to search for cause she was not autho- at his Seoul City Hall office. activist and human rights
leaving home. She didn't Park in the hills, where his rized to speak to the media The reason for Park's disap- lawyer, was elected Seoul
explain the contents of the cellphone signal was last about the matter. pearance wasn't clear. The mayor in 2011. He became
message, said an officer detected. They said the Kim Ji-hyeong, a Seoul Met- Seoul-based SBS television the city's first mayor to be
at the Seoul Metropolitan phone was turned off when ropolitan Government offi- network reported that one voted to a third term in
Police Agency who was they tried to call him. cial, said Park did not come of Park's secretaries had June 2018. q

WHO: Indoor airborne spread of coronavirus possible

LONDON (AP) — The World including WHO, to adopt ognized the importance
Health Organization is ac- more stringent protective of people spreading CO-
knowledging the possibil- measures. VID-19 without symptoms,
ity that COVID-19 might WHO has long dismissed a phenomenon the orga-
be spread in the air under the possibility that the nization has long down-
certain conditions — after coronavirus is spread in played. WHO has repeat-
more than 200 scientists the air except for certain edly said such transmission
urged the agency to do risky medical procedures, is "rare" despite a growing
so. such as when patients are consensus among scientists
In an open letter published first put on breathing ma- globally that asymptom-
this week in a journal, two chines. atic spread likely accounts
scientists from Australia and In a change to its previ- for a significant amount of
the U.S. wrote that studies ous thinking, WHO noted transmission. The agency
have shown "beyond any on Thursday that stud- In this Friday, June 26, 2020 file photo, people wear masks while said that most spread is
reasonable doubt that vi- ies evaluating COVID-19 exercising at a gym in Los Angeles. via droplets from infect-
ruses are released during outbreaks in restaurants, Associated Press ed people who cough or
exhalation, talking and choir practices and fitness sneeze, but added that
coughing in microdroplets classes suggested the virus lated spaces over a pro- taminated surfaces or people without symptoms
small enough to remain might have been spread in longed period of time with close contacts between are also capable of trans-
aloft in the air." the air. infected persons cannot people in such indoor en- mitting the disease.
The researchers, along with Airborne spread "particu- be ruled out," WHO said. vironments — might also "The extent of truly asymp-
more than 200 others, ap- larly in specific indoor lo- Still, officials also pointed have explained the dis- tomatic infection in the
pealed for national and cations, such as crowded out that other modes of ease's spread. community remains un-
international authorities, and inadequately venti- transmission — like con- WHO's stance also rec- known," WHO said.q