On the 10th, it is known that former Ssangbangul group chairman Kim Seong-tae, who was caught in Thailand after 8 months of escaping, expressed his intention to return home voluntarily.
Today (12th), according to the legal community and the Ssangbangul group, former chairman Kim, who is known to have denied illegal stay immediately after being arrested, is reported to have announced his position to the authorities that he would 'voluntarily return to Korea'.
It is known that former Chairman Kim chose to enter Korea because of the burden of poor conditions in local accommodation facilities.
An official from Ssangbangwool said, "It seems that there is no benefit to filing a lawsuit such as refusal of repatriation." is said to have said,"
Since it is a voluntary return form rather than a forced deportation or repatriation procedure, former chairman Kim is expected to arrive at Incheon Airport by air as soon as an emergency passport is issued.
Former Chairman Kim, along with current Chairman Yang Seon-gil of Ssangbang-ul, were caught by a local immigration arrest team at a golf course in Pathum Thani, Thailand at 7:30 pm (5:30 pm local time) on the 10th.
At the time of the arrest, Kim was wearing a golf suit and had a shaggy beard.
He was also said to have had large amounts of cash on hand.
While being investigated by the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office for embezzlement under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes, former Chairman Kim and others had fled to Singapore and the United States ahead of the search and seizure at the end of May last year.
Prosecutors are seeking arrest warrants for six people, including former chairman Kim's younger brother and executives and employees of Kwanglim, a subsidiary of Ssangbangwool, on charges of helping former chairman Kim escape or destroying evidence related to the investigation. Mr. A, a former Korean president who helped him escape, is also under investigation.
Former Chairman Kim is a key figure in various corruption allegations of the Ssangbangwool Group, which is currently being investigated by the Suwon District Prosecutor's Office.
The Suwon District Prosecutor's Office is investigating allegations of ▲ breach of trust and embezzlement ▲ violation of the Capital Markets Act, such as false disclosure related to convertible bonds, ▲ remittance to North Korea, and ▲ allegations of payment of attorney fees by Lee Jae-myeong, CEO of the Democratic Party of Korea.
Prosecutors believe that former chairman Kim, the actual owner of Ssangbangwool, ordered or led various suspicions and allegations raised so far while he was the group chairman.