To tell us more about the prosecutors' investigation into corruption allegations against former
President Lee Myung-bak,...
Professor Song Se-ryun from Kyung Hee University joins us in the studio today.
Welcome to the program.
Great to be here.
1- The investigation into ex-President Lee means...
five former presidents...
including Lee have been questioned by prosecutors on corruption allegations since the 1990s.
And as Mr. Lee arrived at the prosecutors' office in Seoul this morning... he said...
"I'm very sorry for causing concern to the people", and added that he hopes he will be
the last former president to stand here.
Tell us more about
the situation.
2- So a
senior prosecutor received Lee before he was ushered into room 1001,... which is the same
place his successor, ousted former President Park Geun-hye, underwent questioning.
How are former presidents in Korea treated and questioned when they are summoned by prosecutors?
3- We hear that the questioning is expected to go on
for
about 20 hours or so,.... with prosecutors questioning
the former president
on some 20 alleged offenses.
Tell us more about these offenses and what the sentence in regards to these offenses
may be.
4- But the former president has been continuously denying all allegations against him.
What are his reasons?
5- Mr. Lee is also accused of embezzling millions of dollars from DAS,... which is an auto parts
company he allegedly owns under the names of
his relatives.
If this turns out to be true, then what sentence could he face?
6- Presidential files were also found in the basement of a Seoul building
owned by Mr. Lee's Cheonggye Foundation where DAS rents office and storage spaces.
7- Although Mr. Lee is expected to return home after the questioning,... prosecutors
are likely to then request an arrest warrant.
What are your thoughts on this?
8- What are some of the things that we should keep a
close
eye on
in regards to Mr. Lee's questioning and the prosecutors' investigation?
9- How will Mr. Lee's corruption probe then affect Korea's overall political landscape...
and in what way can we prevent leaders from repeating the same mistakes.....
so we don't see another former president embroiled in
a
corruption scandal?
Thank you
for your insight today professor.
Thank you.