The worth of the remains

The worth of the remains

SEOUL (Reuters): South Korean police said they arrested a man who later confessed to stealing the remains of the late father of the Lotte Group chairman and ransoming them for about $650,000.

The suspect, identified only as "Lim", was arrested in the city of Taejon, about 120 km (75 miles) south of Seoul.

"We arrested Lim as a suspect and he has confessed to the crime," said a Taejon police spokesman. "We also found part of the remains dug up from the grave on the roof of an electronic game parlor run by the suspect," he said.

Lim and two accomplices were believed to have dug up the remains on Wednesday, the police said.

They said the thieves telephoned the office of Lotte Chairman Shin Kyuk-ho last Thursday and told him to check on his father's grave in Ulsan, about 230 km southeast of Seoul.

Lotte Group is a major confectionery maker which also operates hotels and department stores.