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Staff Reporter
Kim Sung-hoon, head of the late actress Jang Ja-yeon's former management agency, was arrested in Japan, police said Wednesday.
Kim had been placed on a wanted list on suspicions of forcing up-and-coming actresses, including Jang, to provide sexual favors to showbiz and media VIPs.
Gyeonggi Province police said Japanese officers who had been tipped off about his presence apprehended the 42-year-old at a hotel that afternoon.
He had been hiding out in Japan, defying repeated requests to return to Seoul for questioning.
Kim left the country in March after Jang was found dead in what was ruled a suicide. He fled after Jang's suicide note, containing the names of public figures she was allegedly forced to have sexual relations with in exchange for raising her media exposure was made public.
Kim has been suspected of being the mastermind behind such deals.
``It will take about two months for Kim to be returned to Korea,'' a police officer said. ``Once he gets here, we will resume the stalemated investigation into figures allegedly involved in the scandal.''
Following her death, police launched a large-scale investigation, pledging to discover who had received such ``favors'' from the actress regardless of their social position.
Police concluded their primary investigation in April, booking nine people out of 20 who were questioned, but failed to identify to whom the late actress was forced to provide sexual intercourse.
None of the corporate figures and media executives suspected of having sex with the late Jang have been booked. At that time, police said they were unable to find concrete evidence to the claims.
Jang hanged herself at her house in Bundang, south of Seoul, on March 7.
A few days later, her manager disclosed a seven-page suicide note, she had supposedly written, which stated that the former agent had forced her to provide sex and entertainment to several VIPs, including CEOs of two print and online media organizations, program directors and a bank CEO. Other bigwigs allegedly include owners and presidents of chaebol.
pss@koreatimes.co.kr
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