18 March 2017•Update: 20 March 2017
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
One of South Korea’s most powerful business figures was interrogated by Seoul prosecutors Saturday, as state investigators continue to look into a massive presidential office scandal.
SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won was summoned for questioning over suspicions surrounding his early release from a four-year prison sentence after being found guilty of embezzlement in 2012.
The 56-year-old head of the country’s third-largest conglomerate was pardoned in 2015 by then-President Park Geun-hye the same year SK donated around $10 million to nonprofit foundations linked to Park.
With prosecutors examining whether Chey bought his freedom, he could join Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong as a bribery suspect.
Lee is currently on trial after being indicted last month following a 70-day special investigation, which ended before the appointed counsel was able to probe donations by other major conglomerates apart from Samsung.
State prosecutors are expanding the case, however, and on Tuesday Park herself is due to become South Korea’s fourth ex-president to be interrogated.
She was expelled from office just over a week ago when the Constitutional Court upheld her parliamentary impeachment.
