Ex-PPP leader Lee to appear for police questioning next week

SEOUL, Sept. 6 (Yonhap) -- Lee Jun-seok, a former chairperson of the ruling People Power Party, has told police he will show up for questioning next week over sex bribery and other allegations, officials said Tuesday.

The 37-year-old Lee has been accused of receiving sexual services paid for by Kim Sung-jin, CEO of the tech company I-kaist, in 2013 and attempting to cover it up by promising to pay off a whistleblower.

Kim's side claimed Lee had promised to set up a meeting with then President Park Geun-hye in return. Lee was considered close to Park at that time, because she had handpicked him for a seat on the party's collective leadership two years earlier.

The scandal had Lee's party membership suspended for six months by the party's ethics committee in early July, resulting in his ouster from the party chairmanship.

According to police officials Tuesday, Lee plans to appear for questioning at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on Sept. 16 to comply with the police's summons issued last week.

Sources said the police have tentatively decided to drop the sex bribery charge on the ground that the five-year statute of limitations on such a case already expired.

But police are expected to carry on with its investigation into the cover-up and other allegations.

pbr@yna.co.kr
(END)