Ex-senior secretary for S.Korean president appears in prosecutors' office over bribery allegation

Source: Xinhua| 2017-11-20 11:12:27|Editor: pengying
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SEOUL, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- Former senior secretary for South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday appeared in prosecutors' office to be quizzed over allegations that he was involved in a bribery scandal embroiling his former aides.

Jun Byung-hun, 59, former senior presidential secretary for political affairs, showed up in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office earlier in the day, local footage showed.

Jun told reporters that he was not involved in any illegality, saying he will give sufficient explanations to prosecutors to resolve any misunderstanding.

He apologized for aberrant acts of his two former aides, who had been already detained, saying he felt frustrated to burden the Cheong Wa Dae, the office and residence of President Moon.

It marked the first time that any senior secretary of President Moon is questioned by prosecutors since the new government was inaugurated in May.

Jun resigned as the senior political affairs secretary last Thursday, saying he didn't want burden President Moon.

Jun was suspected of inducing Lotte Homshopping, South Korea's retail giant, to donate 330 million won (around 270,000 U.S. dollars) in July 2015 to the Korea e-Sports Association, in which Jun served as its chairman at the time.

Shortly after the donation, the retailer renewed its business license for home shopping channel by three more years.

At the time, Jun was a lawmaker who served on the future planning, broadcasting and communications committee of the National Assembly having influence over the license renewal for home shopping channels.

Jun's two former aides were detained for embezzlement charge as they were suspected of embezzling 110 million won of the total donation.

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