A second official from the Korea Land and Housing Corporation (LH) has been found dead.

The 58-year-old, who works for the LH Paju headquarters in Gyeonggi Province, was found hanging inside a container in Paju on Saturday morning.

A local resident discovered the body and called the police.

The official did not leave a note, but is known to have talked with family on the phone in the early hours of the morning and sent a text message saying that he is sorry to leave them.

Police said they received a tip connecting the victim to the real estate speculation scandal that is currently rocking Korea, and were planning to verify the facts. A probe had not begun and police had not contacted the official.  

Some media outlets earlier reported that the individual along with a coworker purchased land in the Paju area for profit related to a development project.

Police are questioning family members and colleagues before officially determining the cause of death.

On Friday, another LH official was found dead in an apparent suicide in the garden of an apartment building in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.

In a note, the official acknowledged committing something “unadvisable” while serving as head of the LH North Jeolla headquarters.