Seoul, Dec 21 (IANS) South Korea’s Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok underwent nearly 10 hours of questioning on Sunday by a special counsel team over allegations of election meddling linked to former First Lady Kim Keon Hee.
Lee appeared before a team led by special counsel Min Joong-ki at 10 a.m. and left around 7:40 p.m. The team was set up in July to investigate corruption and other allegations surrounding the former First Lady, Yonhap News Agency reported.
“I sincerely cooperated with the investigation,” Lee told reporters as he left. “I also sincerely testified about former President Yoon Suk Yeol.”
It was the first time Lee had been questioned by the special counsel.
Min’s team is investigating allegations that Lee colluded with former President Yoon and his wife, Kim, to meddle in candidate nominations for the 2022 parliamentary by-elections. Lee was the leader of the then-ruling People Power Party (PPP) at the time.
Yoon and Kim are suspected of receiving free opinion polls from self-proclaimed power broker Myung Tae-kyun ahead of the 2022 presidential election in exchange for the nomination of former PPP Rep. Kim Young-sun as a candidate for the by-elections.
Lee has denied the allegations.
On Saturday, former President Yoon underwent more than eight hours of questioning by a special counsel team over corruption allegations linked to his wife.
It marked the jailed former President’s first appearance before special counsel Min’s team, which launched in July to investigate corruption and other allegations surrounding Kim.
Yoon is accused of being an accomplice to his wife when she allegedly received opinion polls worth 270 million won (US$183,000) for free from a self-proclaimed power broker and when she allegedly accepted a painting worth 140 million won from a former prosecutor.
He is also suspected of violating the Public Official Election Act for allegedly speaking a falsehood about his wife during a 2021 debate when he was a presidential candidate.
Min’s team is also looking into whether Yoon was involved in Kim’s alleged acceptance of luxury gifts from others, including Lee Bae-yong, former head of the National Education Commission, in exchange for favours.
Yoon denied all allegations against him, his lawyers said.
Asked by reporters earlier about whether Yoon was aware of Kim’s acceptance of luxury gifts, his lawyer said the former President was “completely unaware.”
Saturday’s interrogation likely marked Yoon’s final appearance before Min’s team, as the special counsel investigation is scheduled to endon December 28.
–IANS
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