Lotte vice chairman’s suicide note found

[THE INVESTOR] Police found a four-page letter from Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won, who took his life early in the morning of Aug. 26, where he expressed concern for family members and Lotte employees, according to local news reports.

“Chairman Shin Dong-bin is a great man, and I am sorry to leave early in this difficult situation,” he wrote in the letter directed to Lotte employees. He also claimed that there was no slush fund created at Lotte Group.  

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To his family members, he expressed regret for leaving them behind and thanked them for taking care of him while he was chronically ill. 

Officials found no mention of the prosecutors’ probe in the recovered letter.

According to police, Lee was found dead in an apparent suicide at a walking trail in Yangpyeong-gun, Gyeonggi Province, after a local resident notified police at around 7:10 a.m.

Police found his belongings, including his ID card in his pocket, at the scene. They are currently verifying the fingerprints to confirm his identity.

Officials believe Lee, who lives in central Seoul, drove to the area the night before or early in the morning intent to take his own life.

Lee, a key aide to Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, was due to appear at the Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office at 9:30 a.m. for questioning as part of the group’s ongoing corruption probe.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)