Fmr. president Lee Myung-bak appears before prosecutors for questioning
- 6 years ago
We begin with D-Day for one of the most famous faces in Korean politics.
Former president Lee Myung-bak has appeared before prosecutors for questioning as a suspect over a slew of corruption allegations, including bribery, embezzlement and a long list of other illegal actions.
Let's speak to our Oh Jung-hee who has been following developments today at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Jung-hee,... if you wouldn't mind,... just give us a recap of the moment Lee Myung-bak,... known to most people in Korea as just "MB" arrived there...
Yes, Mark...
Ex-president Lee Myung-bak appeared here at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office roughly two-and-a-half hours ago... after an eight-minute ride from his residence in southern Seoul.
He arrived here slightly ahead of the scheduled time.
Just as we expected,... before entering the building, Lee stopped by the photo line in front of the office to deliver a brief message to the nation.
"I'm sorry to have caused troubles amid the economic difficulties and the grave security situation,... and I send my apologies to my supporters and to people experiencing difficulties. I have lots to share with people as the country's former president, but I know that I should keep my message short. In history, this should be the last such trouble. I again express my apologies."
Just to give you a brief recap, Lee faces roughly 20 allegations in total, including bribery, creating slush funds and abuse of power.
Over the past few months, state prosecutors have questioned numerous figures surrounding Lee... including his family members like brothers, nephew and son,... as well as presidential secretaries who worked with him during his term.
And all that was to close in on Lee today... who was summoned as the main culprit of the charges I've just run through.
But Lee's been firmly denying the allegations,... calling the investigation against him and his aides... political retaliation from the current Moon Jae-in administration.
Jung-hee, just walk us through what to expect in the coming hours,... and given the number of charges he faces and his status as a former president.... we understand this is going to be a long, drawn out affair...
That's right, Mark.
More than two hours have passed since former president Lee Myung-bak made his way into the prosecutors' office... so it's expected he already met with senior prosecution officials... and got into the actual interrogation process.
Lee is known to be interrogated on the tenth floor... in the exact same room where Park Geun-hye was questioned.
The entire questioning will be video-recorded as well.
Throughout the day, there's a possibility Lee could be cross-interrogated with some of his former aides, including a couple of then-presidential secretaries and his asset manager... as they've been quite cooperative for the prosecution and provided detailed testimonies.
Because Lee is the nation's former president, prosecutors aim to wrap up t
Former president Lee Myung-bak has appeared before prosecutors for questioning as a suspect over a slew of corruption allegations, including bribery, embezzlement and a long list of other illegal actions.
Let's speak to our Oh Jung-hee who has been following developments today at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Jung-hee,... if you wouldn't mind,... just give us a recap of the moment Lee Myung-bak,... known to most people in Korea as just "MB" arrived there...
Yes, Mark...
Ex-president Lee Myung-bak appeared here at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office roughly two-and-a-half hours ago... after an eight-minute ride from his residence in southern Seoul.
He arrived here slightly ahead of the scheduled time.
Just as we expected,... before entering the building, Lee stopped by the photo line in front of the office to deliver a brief message to the nation.
"I'm sorry to have caused troubles amid the economic difficulties and the grave security situation,... and I send my apologies to my supporters and to people experiencing difficulties. I have lots to share with people as the country's former president, but I know that I should keep my message short. In history, this should be the last such trouble. I again express my apologies."
Just to give you a brief recap, Lee faces roughly 20 allegations in total, including bribery, creating slush funds and abuse of power.
Over the past few months, state prosecutors have questioned numerous figures surrounding Lee... including his family members like brothers, nephew and son,... as well as presidential secretaries who worked with him during his term.
And all that was to close in on Lee today... who was summoned as the main culprit of the charges I've just run through.
But Lee's been firmly denying the allegations,... calling the investigation against him and his aides... political retaliation from the current Moon Jae-in administration.
Jung-hee, just walk us through what to expect in the coming hours,... and given the number of charges he faces and his status as a former president.... we understand this is going to be a long, drawn out affair...
That's right, Mark.
More than two hours have passed since former president Lee Myung-bak made his way into the prosecutors' office... so it's expected he already met with senior prosecution officials... and got into the actual interrogation process.
Lee is known to be interrogated on the tenth floor... in the exact same room where Park Geun-hye was questioned.
The entire questioning will be video-recorded as well.
Throughout the day, there's a possibility Lee could be cross-interrogated with some of his former aides, including a couple of then-presidential secretaries and his asset manager... as they've been quite cooperative for the prosecution and provided detailed testimonies.
Because Lee is the nation's former president, prosecutors aim to wrap up t