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The Long Arm of the Law

March 7, 2014

Korean fugitive in fatal DUI case brought back to U.S. 18 years later

A man who fled to Korea 18 years ago while on trial for allegedly killing a woman in a DUI crash has been brought back to the United States.

Song Kyung-ho, 75, allegedly was drunk driving on Route 59 near Bartlett, Ill., when he hit and killed a 43-year-old Hispanic woman in 1996, according to Cook County State Attorney’s office. His blood alcohol level was almost double the legal limit, according to police and court records.

He arrived at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on Wednesday after judicial cooperation between authorities in the U.S. and Korea. For years he lived openly in a glass-and-concrete suburban high-rise in Korea, according to The Chicago Tribune.

The woman had parked her broken down car on the side of the road when Song’s Oldsmobile crashed into her. Two more were injured in the accident.

Song was 57 at the time and owned a shopping mall. During his trial, he posted a small bail deposit and fled to Korea after taking care of his assets by staging a divorce with his wife. He has been living alone in Gyeonggi-do ever since.

Song is now awaiting trial and being held in a detention center without bail.