Ex-Pres. Roh Faces Grilling Today

Former President Roh Moo-hyun will face grilling by prosecutors today over his alleged role in a bribery scandal at the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in southern Seoul at 1:30 p.m.

Roh will be Korea`s third former president to appear before prosecutors. In 1995, former Presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo were indicted for receiving bribes.

Prosecutors will probe Roh for about 10 hours over whether he took bribes worth six million dollars from Taekwang Industry CEO Park Yeon-cha while in office.

Roh will also be asked about 300 questions divided into three categories: how he took one million U.S. dollars from Park in June 2007 and where the money went; whether he had prior knowledge of the five million dollars wired to the bank account of his brother’s son-in-law Yeon Chul-ho in February last year; and if he was aware that former presidential secretary for general affairs Jung Sang-moon embezzled 1.25 billion won (936,330 dollars) set aside for "special activities" by the presidential office.

If necessary, prosecutors will bring in Park for cross-examination.

In another trial at the Seoul Central District Court yesterday, Choo Boo-kil, former public relations secretary for President Lee Myung-bak, admitted to taking 200 million won (149,814 dollars) in bribes from Park in exchange for sparing Taekwang a tax audit.

Jang In-tae, former vice minister of the now-defunct Government Administration and Home Affairs Ministry, also admitted to taking bribes from Park in a trial held the same day, saying, “I deeply regret it.”

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