SEOUL
South Korea’s official forensic agency told the nation Friday that it was “impossible” to confirm the cause of death of the country’s most wanted fugitive Yoo Byung-eun – the de facto owner of the ill-fated Sewol ferry whose sinking in April left more than 300 people dead or still missing.
National Forensic Service (NFS) director Seo Joong-seok blamed Yoo’s body being “in a very advanced stage of decomposition” for the failure to reach a widely-anticipated conclusion to the case.
The corpse of 73-year-old Yoo was found in a rural plum field on June 12 - but only this week did DNA evidence actually identify the body as his.
A delay by police in the southern city of Suncheon in suspecting a link meant a countrywide manhunt went on for several more weeks – with an unprecedented reward of nearly $500,000 on offer for Yoo’s whereabouts.
Investigative errors have fueled a spate of conspiracy theories on South Korean social media, while even the country’s ruling Saenuri Party has accused the police of trying to cover up their mistakes via a spokesperson.
Friday’s inconclusive announcement from the NFS may have failed to rule out suicide or murder, but the agency’s director did confirm Yoo had not died from a drug overdose.
On Thursday, South Korea’s Justice Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn had vowed to find out the cause of Yoo’s death, while offering a public apology for the bungled manhunt.
It was also revealed this week that investigating officers had failed to detect the fugitive while raiding a vacation home where he was hiding on May 25 – just 2.5 kilometers from where Yoo’s body was later discovered.
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