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The LH headquarters in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province / Yonhap |
A senior official of the state housing developer was found dead in an apparent suicide Friday, police said, as allegations of land speculation by public servants have been rocking the nation.
The official of Korea Land and Housing Corp. (LH) was found bleeding at around 9:40 a.m. by a passerby at a garden of an apartment building in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, according to the police. He was sent to a hospital where he died.
The 56-year-old seems to have jumped to his death. He reportedly left a note saying he did "ill-advised" things during his time as chief of an LH office in North Jeolla Province.
"I am in agony. I am sorry to the nation," he wrote, according to a source.
Police were trying to determine the exact cause of death, with no apparent signs of foul play. Police plan to conduct an autopsy.
He was not subject to an ongoing police investigation into the real estate speculation scandal, according to the LH.
His name was not on the list of 20 LH officials confirmed by the government to have bought land in sites near Seoul to be developed as new residential towns, allegedly using insider information. The government and police are expanding a related probe. (Yonhap)