SK Group executive grilled over scandal-ridden foundations

An executive of South Korea's major conglomerate SK Group was questioned by prosecutors Monday over allegations the group was unlawfully pressured to donate to two nonprofit foundations, linked to a controversial figure with close ties to President Park Geun-hye.

The prosecution said it called in the executive, identified only by his surname Park, to question him over the Mir Foundation and the K-Sports Foundation.

South Korea's big businesses, such as Samsung and Hyundai, are said to have donated some 80 billion won ($70 million) in total for the two foundations.

There have been allegations that a portion of the money was funneled to Choi Soon-sil, who is at the center of a political scandal that is rocking the country.

SK Group is known to have declined a proposal that asked the group to donate some 8 billion won.

Prosecutors here have been summoning a number of officials from the country's leading conglomerates to investigate the details of the allegations raised. Earlier on Sunday, they grilled So Jin-sei, executive of retail giant Lotte, over similar suspicions. (Yonhap)