S. Korean convicted of defrauding Asia Motors extradited

INCHEON, Sept. 27 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean man convicted of depriving a now-defunct major South Korean automaker of hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars returned to his country on Saturday, officials said.

Jeon Chong-jin, sentenced to 10 years by a South Korean court for inflicting
US$400 million in damages on Asia Motors, a now-defunct subsidiary of Kia Motors,
fled to Brazil in 2001 while on bail.
Jeon, 43, headed the Brazilian branch of Asia Motors when he failed to pay Kia
Motors US$200 million for shipments from 1996 to 1997. He also succeeded in
swindling Kia Motors out of $200 million, saying he needed the money to expand
his branch operations.
Kia Motors was eventually merged with Hyundai Motor, South Korea's biggest
carmaker, in 1998.
Under an extradition treaty with South Korea, Brazilian police captured Jeon in
July in 2006, and a Brazilian court decided last year to send him back to South
Korea.
Taken into the custody of South Korean investigators upon his arrival at Incheon
International Airport, Jeon was whisked off to the Supreme Prosecution's office
in Seoul, airport officials said.