A Surreal Tale

In Ferry Deaths, a South Korean Tycoon’s Downfall

The New York Times

For me the most fascinating business story of the week was the Times’s takeout on religious-group founder, artistic photographer, and disgraced tycoon Yoo Byung-eun, whose hyperinflated life came to a strange and sad end in a South Korean apricot orchard last month (Suicide? Murder? Who knows?) during the aftermath of the ferry sinking that killed 304 passengers. The ship, which was part of his family’s sprawling businesses, had been top-heavy because scores of cabins and an art gallery laden with marble were added to the upper decks.