Prosecution summons SK chief Chey over scandal of impeached president

Chey Tae-won, chairman of major South Korean conglomerate SK Group, has been summoned again for questioning over corruption allegations that have led to the successful impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye, company officials said Saturday.

Chey, 56, has been told to appear before the prosecutors' office at 2 p.m., according to the officials.

Chey's summons comes shortly before the former president is set to be questioned by the prosecution.

The SK chief, along with dozens of other business leaders, is suspected of offering donations to two sports foundations controlled by Park's longtime friend Choi Soon-sil in exchange for favors from the former Park government.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested after the prosecution concluded the donations from the world's largest smartphone supplier may have been bribes.

Chey's latest summons is apparently aimed at building a stronger case against the former president, who has been told to show up for questioning on Tuesday.

SK is suspected of providing billions of won in donations to the two sports foundations -- Mir and K-Sports -- in exchange for a 2015 presidential pardon of Chey who was then serving a prison term for embezzlement and other convictions, an allegation strongly denied by Chey and his company. (Yonhap)