A staff at the North Korean embassy, who identified herself as Miss Kim, said Yang Hyok Kae came to Nepal in December 2009, and he was just a tourist. According to Miss Kim, he went missing three weeks ago. [break]
Yang had been operating Kumgangsam Korean Restaurant on the top floor of the Woodlands Business Complex at Durbarmarg for nine months. He had taken over the space for Rs 9.2 million from the owner of one Koushi Restaurant who is identified as Bijaya Rai. He has yet to pay Rs 4.2 million to Rai, police sources said.
One reason why he disappeared could be the huge amount of money he owes to some Nepalis, investigation officials said.
"There are others who are found to have lent him some money but nobody is willing to make a complaint against him," said an official.
The story has a series of intriguing circumstances, twists and turns.
In the second week of November, the owner of the Woodlands Business Complex had made a complaint at the District Administration Office asking that the floor housing Yang´s restaurant be vacuated. Yang had fallen out with the complex owner in connection with renewal of the yearly leasing contract that the erstwhile tenant Rai had made.
When Metropolitan Police tried to intervene, the North Korean embassy officials showed up to broker reconciliation between the complex owner and Yang.
"It was about two weeks ago when a new rental agreement was expected between the two parties that an embassy secretary suddenly came up with a complaint about Yang gone missing," said an official familiar with the case.
"He introduced himself as the third secretary and would also speak Nepali fluently," the official said. "A few days back, he said that Yang´s wife would return from North Korean with money to conduct the contract and also to clear the dues owed to Rai. Then suddenly he lodged the complaint about Yang´s disappearance."
Officials also said that Rai, whom Republica could not contact till Friday, had even complained that the North Korean embassy officials, unlike their humility during negotiations, had discarded his requests to settle transactions after they lodged the complaint.
It was the North Korean embassy officials who also provided cues about the two South Korean nationals Choi Won Sop and Sun Hack Dal -- incorrectly identified in our Friday´s story as Choiw Onsop and Sun Kahadal - investigating officials said.
Police have prosecuted the South Korean duo on a public offence charge only. The hitherto police investigation has failed to find evidence to build a kidnapping charge against them as demanded by the North Korean officials.
North Korean officials are also known to have continuously pressed both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs to expedite the case.
Meanwhile, Won Sop and Hack Dal have admitted during interrogations to have helped Yang cross the Nepal-India border, officials said. "We have advised him to meet Mr Paul in Delhi for help to seek asylum there," they were quoted as saying by an official.
An official at the South Korean foreign ministry has said the South Korean government is following the development.
South Korea´s Yonhap News Agency quoted the unnamed official as saying, "The government, through the South Korean Embassy in Kathmandu, is contacting relevant Nepalese authorities and requesting consular interviews."
Republica´s repeated attempts to get comments from the South Korean embassy in Kathmandu were unfruitful.
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