He was the target of a nationwide manhunt, but South Korean authorities have now confirmed businessman Yoo Byung-un has been found dead.<br /><br />Yoo headed the family that owned the operator of the Sewol ferry, which capsized in April killing more than 300 people, most of them children.<br /><br />The corpse was discovered over a month ago in a plum orchard in the south of the country. <br /><br />A book written by Yoo was found at the site, according to Suncheon police chief Woo Hyung-ho, along with an empty bottle of a shark liver oil product made by a Yoo family company.<br /><br />However, the body was not identified straightaway; it had decayed by up to 80 percent and police did not immediately recognise the significance of the two items.<br /><br />“We didn’t know at the time it was a book written by Yoo,” Woo said. “We admit, we were not perfect.”<br /><br />Police said the death didn’t appear to have been caused by foul play.<br /><br />The announcement of the discovery came less than a day after prosecutors apologised for failing to capture Yoo. President Park Geun-hye’s government has comer under fire for its handling of South Korea’s worst maritime disaster in 20 years.<br /><br />On the same day as the apology, a court also issued a fresh arrest warrant for the tycoon. He was wanted on charges of embezzlement, negligence and tax evasion.<br /><br />The Sewol’s 15 surviving crew members are currently on trial for charges ranging from negligence to homicide.
