Tragic End for Fugitive South Korean Ferry Owner

By Julian Ryall,  The Telegraph – July 22, 2014 – http://tinyurl.com/lc2pewx

The nationwide manhunt for the owner of the South Korean ferry that sank on April 16, with the loss of 304 lives, has been called off after police confirmed that a body found in June is that of Yoo Byung-eun.

The body of the 73-year-old businessman and leading member of the Evangelical Baptist Church was found in a plum orchard close to the city of Suncheon on June 12. The body was badly decomposed and police have only now received confirmation that DNA from the remains are that of Mr Yoo.

The Chosun Ilbo newspaper quoted a police officer as saying that “Mr Yoo appears to have died while wandering around the woods alone.”

A bag containing empty bottles of liquor were found with the body, although Mr Yoo had insisted to the church that he did not drink, while a number of people who assisted him while on the run from the authorities have told police during questioning that he was barely eating.

In a press briefing, local police said there were no indications of foul play in Mr Yoo’s death and that the timing and cause of his death could not be immediately confirmed.

The confirmation brings to an end the search for Mr Yoo, who disappeared in the days after the Sewol sank, claiming 294 lives and with 10 people still listed as missing. The majority of the dead were high school students on a school trip to Jeju Island.

Prosecutors are building a case against the owners and officials of the ferry company, Chonghaejin Marine Co., on suspicion that corruption enabled the firm to ignore safety requirements. A formal investigation is expected to confirm that the vessel was overloaded when it sank.

The authorities put up a bounty of 500 million won (£285,875) for information leading to the capture of Mr Yoo, as well as a 100 million won (£57,177) reward for the arrest of his eldest son, Yoo Dae-kyun.

Many of the rest of the Yoo family have been arrested in charges of embezzlement, while his daughter, Yoo Som-nam fled to Paris and is presently contesting an attempt to extradite her to Seoul to face embezzlement charges.

On Friday, divers recovered another body from the sunken vessel. Lee Myo-hee, a 56-year-old member of the crew, was found in the ship’s kitchens and identified through DNA testing.

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