Prosecution Plans to Prosecute Lee Nam-ki

The Seoul District Public Prosecutor`s Office (SDPPO) on Thursday called in Lee Nam-ki, former chief of the Fair Trade Commission (FTC), for inquiry on charges that he took huge amounts of bribe from the SK Group, in addition to the 20,000 dollars.

The former FTC chief appeared in the SDPPO for inquiry at 10:00 a.m. on that day.

The prosecutors already gained some clues that could confirm his charges by investigating SK Group officials and tracking related bank accounts. The prosecutors plan to prosecute him if his charge is confirmed.

The prosecution focused on whether he took bribes in the FTC`s investigation into SK Telecom`s buying KT shares and its approval process regarding SK Telecom`s acquisition of Shinsegi Telecomm.

"The Investigation into the flow of money whose usage is questionable has been completed and whether to prosecute the former FTC chairman will be disclosed when the time is right," said an official with the SDPPO, suggesting that his charges have already been confirmed.

Myoung-Gun Lee gun43@donga.com