In brief: Shipping tycoon’s body found in field

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korean police said today that they have found the body of a fugitive billionaire businessman sought over April’s ferry disaster that left more than 300 people dead or missing.

The body was found in an agricultural field in the southern South Korean city of Suncheon on June 12, local police station chief Wu Hyung-ho told a news conference. He said DNA and fingerprint samples taken from the body matched those of Yoo Byung-eun.

Wu said the body had decayed beyond recognition when it was found and a more thorough examination was needed to find how and when he died. An initial investigation showed there was no evidence that he was murdered, Wu said.

Police and prosecutors have been seeking Yoo for weeks and had offered a $500,000 reward for tips about him. They believe Yoo was the owner of the ferry and that his alleged corruption may have contributed to its sinking.

Suicide bomber targets police

KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomber targeted a police convoy in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province on Monday, killing two people, a policeman and a civilian, a local official said.

The attack took place in the Helmand provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, said Omar Zwak, the spokesman for the provincial governor. He said the explosion also wounded 15 people – eight policemen and seven civilians.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Taliban frequently use roadside bombs and suicide attacks against Afghan and NATO forces and government offices in the country.

In northern Afghanistan, Taliban fighters ambushed a local police checkpoint in the Qaysar district of Faryab province, an official said.

At least eight local policemen and 27 Taliban fighters were killed in the firefight that ensued, according to the provincial governor, Mohamadullha Batash.

In southern Uruzgan province, four Afghan policemen were shot to death at a checkpoint in Shahid Asass district, said Dost Mohammad Nayuib, spokesman for the Uruzgan governor.

The attackers were two other policemen from the same unit who fled the scene, said Nayuib. Another policeman was wounded in the attack, he added.