Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon speaks during a press conference at Seoul City Hall in Seoul, South Korea, July 8, 2020. Police on July 9 said the mayor of South Korean capital Seoul has been reported missing and search operations are underway. (CHEON JIN-HWAN / NEWSIS VIA AP)

SEOUL - South Korean police are searching for Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, seen as a leading candidate for the 2022 presidential election, who was reported missing.

Park Won-soon’s daughter reported him missing at 5:17 pm local time and said his phone was cut off and that he had left a message "like a will", according to Yonhap news agency

Park’s daughter reported him missing at 5:17 pm local time and said his phone was cut off and that he had left a message "like a will", according to Yonhap news agency.

Park left the official residence at around 10:40 am, wearing a black hat and a backpack, having canceled a policy meeting that was scheduled for Thursday morning, according to multiple local reports.

Police launched a massive search for Park, 64, using drones and sniffer dogs, Yonhap said.

ALSO READ: South Korea reports 62 cases, biggest increase since June 19

Police declined to comment further on the case and Yonhap didn’t provide any indication what may have been behind the reported disappearance.

Park has been mayor of Seoul, a city of about 10 million people since 2011, and has been viewed as one of the top contenders to replace President Moon Jae-in, when his single, five-year term ends. Both are members of the progressive Democratic Party.

An official at Park’s office said they are trying to confirm if he went missing. Park was re-elected to a four-year term as mayor in 2018 and had been a civil rights lawyer before entering politics.

READ MORE: South Korea adds remdesivir to treatment guidelines