Fugitive ex-Ssangbangwool chief returns home to face probe linked to opposition leader

▲ Kim Seong-tae (C), former chair of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, is surrounded by Thai police officers after being arrested near Bangkok on Jan. 10, 2023, in this photo provided by Thailand's police agency. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

fugitive tycoon-return home

Fugitive ex-Ssangbangwool chief returns home to face probe linked to opposition leader

SEOUL, Jan. 17 (Yonhap) -- A fugitive underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand last week in connection with the prosecution's ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung's corruption allegations returned home Tuesday.

Kim Seong-tae, former chair of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 8:20 a.m. via an Asiana Airlines flight from Bangkok.

He was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok a week ago, roughly eight months after he fled the country amid several high-profile corruption investigations.

Kim has been long sought after by prosecutors as a key suspect in a number of high-profile corruption investigations, including alleged payment of Lee's attorney expenses by proxy, suspected embezzlement of company funds and alleged transfer of cash to North Korea.

Soon after his arrival, Kim was taken to the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 50 km south of Seoul, which is in charge of corruption investigations involving himself and Lee.

Kim resigned as group chair in 2021 but has allegedly remained in charge of major decision-making at the group.

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