Daewoo’s Kim returns to South Korea, arrested

The South Korean industrialist who fled the country as his Daewoo Group tumbled into one of the world’s largest bankruptcies returned home on Tuesday, ending nearly six years on the run. The return and immediate arrest of Kim Woo Choong, one of Asia’s most notorious fugitives, stirred intense debate on how to deal with the man who represented South Korea’s miraculous economic rise as well as its colossal setbacks from crony capitalism. Kim, 68, and apparently suffering from a long sickness, arrived early morning at Incheon International Airport just outside of Seoul, accompanied by a retinue including his doctor and lawyer. Kim flew in from Hanoi, Vietnam, although he has reportedly been travelling on a French passport and spotted in numerous countries since he slipped out of South Korea in October 1999 while on a business trip to China. Kim’s return comes amid the nation’s half-hearted corporate governance reforms and concerns about the durability of its economic recovery after its fall during the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. ‘‘Because of me, there has been a lot of affliction. I have come back to take responsibility for what happened at Daewoo Group,’’ Kim said. ‘‘I’m so sorry,’’ he said. ‘‘I am very sick.’’ — Agencies