Massive police search for South Korea ferry owner

Описание: Police in riot gear stream in to church and farming complex in central South Korea in search of fugitive businessman wanted to answer questions over the ferry disaster that claimed 300 lives, mostly schoolchildren.

Thousands of South Korean police forced their way into the compound of a splinter religious group on Wednesday in their search for a fugitive businessman wanted in connection with April's ferry disaster.

Television footage showed police officers, many in full riot gear, streaming into the sprawling church and farming complex at around 8:00am local time in Anseong, 50 miles south of Seoul.

A spokesman for the Gyeonggi province police force said 6,000 officers were involved in the raid.

The huge operation came a day after President Park Geun-Hye urged police and prosecutors to step up a manhunt for Yoo Byung-Eun, 72, a leading member of the Evangelical Baptist Church of Korea.

Mr Yoo is the patriarch of the family behind the Chonghaejin Marine Co. -- the company that owned and operated the 6,825-tonne Sewol passenger ferry which sank on April 16 with the loss of 300 lives, most of them schoolchildren.

"Yoo must be brought to justice," Park told a cabinet meeting.
He is wanted for questioning on possible charges of embezzlement and criminal negligence, as prosecutors investigate the extent to which the Sewol disaster was caused by a lack of safety standards and regulatory violations.

Yonhap news agency said the raid had netted three church followers suspected of helping Mr Yoo evade a nationwide dragnet put in place after he defied an official summons to surrender to prosecutors last month.

Police were searching for 10 more alleged accomplices, Yonhap said. Prosecutors were not immediately available for comment.

Mr Yoo has no direct stake in Chonghaejin, but his children and close aides control it through a complex web of holding companies.

A reward of 500 million won (£290,000) has been offered for information leading to the capture of Mr Yoo and 100 million won
for that of his eldest son, Yoo Dae-Kyun.

The police operation also came a day after the trial opened of 15 of the Sewol's surviving crew.

The captain and three of his senior crew members are charged with "homicide through wilful negligence" and could face the death penalty if convicted.


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