Prosecutors step up hunt for de facto Sewol ferry owner

Prosecutors in charge of investigating corruption allegations surrounding the Sewol ferry's de facto owner, Yoo Byung-eun, have extended their search for him to the southwestern county of Haenam after obtaining intelligence that the fugitive has sneaked into town.

The investigators conjecture that the 73-year-old Yoo will attempt to smuggle himself abroad through the ports in the area.

Yoo, the country's most wanted fugitive, has been evading investigators' pursuit for weeks, helped by some members of the so-called Salvation Sect, known to be led by him.

The prosecutors have rounded up about a dozen members of the sect, who are suspected to have helped Yoo flee.

Meanwhile, the prosecutors said they are poised to summon Yoo's wife Kwon Yoon-ja and have sought an arrest warrant for her younger brother on charges of embezzlement and in a bid to put more pressure on the fugitive.