By Do Je-hae
Staff Reporter
Yangsan Mayor Oh Geun-sup was found dead from an apparent suicide Friday morning at his ranch in Gyeongsang Province ahead of a hearing on his involvement in a corruption case.
He had been scheduled to appear at the Ulsan regional prosecutor's office at 10:00 a.m. Friday.
The 62-year-old hanged himself in the kitchen and was later taken to a nearby hospital, according to local police.
The Ulsan prosecutor's office had been investigating the late mayor for allegedly accepting some 2 billion won in bribes from regional developers. Authorities were tracing bank records of the mayor and his aides.
"Personally, I believe that the mayor took his own life to express his sentiment toward the investigation and prove his innocence," Vice Mayor Ahn Gi-sup said during a press conference shortly after the mayor's body was transferred to the Busan University Hospital in Yangsan. Ahn will serve as the acting mayor.
Oh was elected to post in 2006 as an independent candidate and joined the governing Grand National Party in 2007.
jhdo@koreatimes.co.kr
양산시장 검찰 조사 앞두고 자살
비리 혐의로 검찰 소환을 앞두고 있던 오근섭 (62) 양산시장이 금요일 아침 양산시 자신의 농장에서 숨진 채 발견됐다. 경찰은 자살로 보고 있다.
오시장은 금요일 오전 10시 울산 지검에 출두할 예정이었다.
경찰은 부엌에서 목을 맨 오시장이 근처 병원으로 옮겨졌다고 전했다.
울산지검은 그 동안 지역 개발업자로부터 20억원의 뇌물을 받은 혐의로 오시장과 보좌관들의 은행계좌 등을 추적해 왔다.
안기섭 양산시 부시장은 시신이 양산 소재 부산대병원으로 이송된 직후 가진 기자회견에서 ``개인적으로 오시장이 이번 수사에 대한 자신의 감정을 표현하고 죄가 없음을 입증하기 위해 자살을 선택한 것으로 믿고 있다''고 말했다. 안 부시장은 시장대행으로 근무하게 된다.
2006년 무소속으로 시장에 당선된 오시장은 2007년 집권 한나라당에 입당했다.
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