ROK prosecutors seek arrest of ex-president

SEOUL - Seoul prosecutors said on Monday they are seeking the arrest of Lee Myung-bak, former president of the Republic of Korea, over corruption allegations, on the grounds he might destroy evidence if not detained.

Lee, a conservative who governed from 2008 to 2013, is the latest ROK leader to be entangled in scandals or other problems after leaving office.

Lee's conservative successor, Park Geun-hye, was removed from office and jailed last year in a separate corruption scandal. Prosecutors last month demanded a 30-year prison term for Park, the country's first female president. Seoul Central District Court will likely decide whether to issue an arrest warrant by Wednesday night at the earliest, ROK media reported.

Prosecutors accuse Lee of taking a total of $10 million in bribes from his own intelligence agency, business groups and a former lawmaker. Prosecutors also allege Lee used an auto parts manufacturer as a channel to establish illicit slush funds totaling $28 million.

Lee spent more than 21 hours at the prosecutors' office in Seoul from Wednesday morning, and did not reply to questions from journalists outside as he left.

"President Lee denied most of the charges," a prosecutor was quoted as telling Yonhap news agency.

Lee has denounced the investigation as "political revenge" by his rivals.

Lee, a former Hyundai executive who led the company's meteoric rise and built a reputation as a man who can get things done, took office with a promise to boost the economy and take a harder line toward the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

But his five-year term was dominated by rising animosity with Pyongyang, massive protests against imports of US beef and an economy hit by the global financial crisis.

Ap - Xinhua - Afp

(China Daily 03/20/2018 page12)