Owner of sunken ferry a no-show in court
Followers of a religious cult led by Yoo Byung-eun, the de facto owner of the Sewol Ferry, gather outside a church where he is believed to be in hiding in Anseong, south of Seoul on Friday. Prosecutors are mulling whether to enter the church to retrieve Yoo, who failed to appear in court Friday after a summons by the prosecution. / Yonhap
The de facto owner of a passenger ferry that sank off the southwest coast last month disobeyed a prosecution summons Friday for questioning over his alleged role in one of the country's worst maritime disasters.
Yoo Byung-eun, who is suspected to be the owner Chonghaejin Marine Co. that owns and operates the ferry Sewol, failed to appear at the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office in the western port city of Incheon.
The prosecution suspects that corruption by Yoo ― an entrepreneur, artist, ex-convict and religious figure ― and his family resulted in lax safety practices, such as cargo overloading, and eventually caused the April 16 sinking that has left more than 300 people dead or missing.
Yoo is under suspicion of controlling Chonghaejin Marine through two of his sons, who own stakes in the firm through various subsidiaries, prosecutors said.
According to sources at the prosecution office, prosecutors are mulling over forcibly entering a church retreat in Anseong, south of Seoul, where the mysterious owner is believed to be hiding.
The move comes as prosecutors have expanded their investigation into corruption allegations surrounding the Yoo family, who are facing a host of corruption charges, including embezzlement, dereliction of duty, tax evasion and bribery.
Prosecutors have tried to determine whether the family illegally used the ferry operator and other businesses to accumulate a fortune, but the family members have ignored their summons.
The prosecution already put Yoo's eldest son, Dae-kyun, on the most wanted list for continuously disobeying the summons. (Yonhap)