Sewol owner buried and his mystery, too
A bus carrying followers of the Salvation Sect enters Geumsuwon, the religious cult’s stronghold in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, Sunday, to attend a funeral for Yoo Byung-eun, the late de facto owner of the sunken Sewol ferry. Thousands of cult members paid tribute to their former leader during the two-day service. Yoo’s body was buried inside the compound. / Yonhap
By Jung Min-ho
Under tight security, thousands of people gathered at a religious compound Sunday to attend the funeral of the tycoon who was blamed for the April ferry disaster.
More than 3,000 family members and followers of the Evangelical Baptist Church saw Yoo Byung-eun, 73, who was the de facto owner of Cheonghaejin Marine, the operator that owns the Sewol ferry.
The incident killed more than 300 lives, most of them being high school students. The problem he created, however, is still far from over.
Deep sorrow and outrage are felt among the families, who are still calling on the National Assembly to pass a special bill to fully investigate the tragedy.
Also, many believe there are more people responsible for the disaster following the disclosure that Yoo had wider connections with people in authority. With him buried, it will be more difficult to find who was behind it.
After the National Forensic Service (NFS) failed to determine the cause of his death, it will also likely to remain a mystery.
The funeral ceremony, which started 10 a.m. on Saturday, ended at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
The religious group, known as the Salvation Sect, buried his body at a hill overlooking the compound.
Yoo Dae-gyun, Yoo’s eldest son; Yoo Byung-ho, Yoo’s younger brother; Kwon Yun-ja, Yoo’s wife; and Kwon Oh-kyun, Yoo’s brother-in-law, returned to prison after being temporarily released to attend the service. But only Yoo Dae-hyun attended it.
Police said they have dispatched nearly 90 officers for close-distance surveillance of the four family members. Authorities have also sent some 400 guards to the place in case of an emergency.
The family members have been charged of different corruption charges linked to the disaster.
No media were allowed in. Security guards checked the ID of mourners at the gate.
A church spokesman warned the media of legal actions, if any pictures taken inside the funeral or from the air are published.
Yoo’s body was found on June 12 in Suncheon, South Jeolla Province. And the NFS confirmed that the dead man was him through DNA tests. Yet it could not determine a cause of death as it was seriously decomposed.
His body was returned to Geumsuwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 25, and has been kept in a frozen compartment since.
In addition to his embezzlement charges, prosecutors believe he possessed many hidden assets. They found and seized some of them. The money is expected to be used as compensation to the families of the victims as well as to cover the cost of salvaging the ferry.
The disaster rocked the nation following disclosures that the government officials’ alleged cronyism and corruption were partly responsible for it.
And still, some of the victims’ relatives and politicians have been camped out in downtown Seoul, demanding that the National Assembly form an independent fact-finding committee with full investigative rights and the authority to indict people if they are suspected of involvement in any causes of the sinking.
The bill is stuck in the Assembly, with ruling and opposition parties deadlocked over what legal powers any inquiry should be given.