A migrant worker in her 30s working at a farm through the recent heat wave was found dead a day after she went missing, prompting police investgation.

Yeoju Police station said Monday that the body of the missing person was found in a wooded area near the farmhouse in Saejongdaewang, a rural town of Yeoju, Gyeonggi Province, at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The worker reportedly said she felt unwell while working at the farm the day before. She left the worksite at around 3 p.m. to take a break and was later reported missing.

After receiving a missing person report, police and fire department personnel conducted a joint search operation, and found her body in the woods about 28 hours later.

A severe heat wave warning had been in effect across Yeoju since Aug. 3, and the daytime high reached 36.2 degrees Celsius on the day she went missing. However, authorities have yet to determine whether her death was caused by a heat-related illness.

Police said the worker had entered Korea on an eight-month seasonal work visa and had been working at the farm. They plan to conduct an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.