SEOUL– A fugitive underwear tycoon nabbed in Thailand last week in connection with the prosecution’s ongoing investigation into opposition leader Lee Jae-myung’s corruption allegations returned home Tuesday.
Kim Seong-tae, former chairman of underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, arrived at Incheon International Airport, west of Seoul, around 8:20 a.m. via an Asiana Airlines flight from Bangkok.
He was apprehended by Thai police at a golf club near Bangkok a week ago, roughly eight months after he fled the country amid several high-profile corruption investigations.
Kim has been long sought after by prosecutors as a key suspect in a number of high-profile corruption investigations, including alleged payment of Lee’s attorney expenses by proxy, suspected embezzlement of company funds and alleged transfer of cash to North Korea.
The 55-year-old Kim, handcuffed and flanked by prosecution investigators, was asked if he had any relationship with Lee, the chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), by reporters at the airport but flatly said he did not know him at all.
He also denied allegations of a proxy payment for Lee’s legal fees, saying no attorney expenses have been delivered to the opposition leader.
Kim then said he will sincerely undertake the prosecution’s questioning while apologizing for causing concerns to the people.
Kim, who was put under arrest on boarding the Asiana flight, was taken to the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 34 kilometers south of Seoul, which is in charge of corruption investigations involving himself and Lee.
The prosecutors began questioning him in the afternoon.
Kim resigned as group chair in 2021 but has allegedly remained in charge of major decision-making at the group.
Later in the day, a former executive of Ssangbangwool admitted that Kim and Lee had a close relationship.
A former chief secretary to Lee testified during a court hearing in Suwon on a corruption case involving Lee Hwa-young, a former Vice Gyeonggi Province governor and a close confidant of the DP chairman.
The executive replied in the affirmative when asked by a prosecutor whether Kim, Lee Jae-myung and Lee Hwa-young had close relationships.
On Friday, Lee Jae-myung said he is not acquainted with Kim.
Lee Hwa-young was arrested in September on charges of taking bribes from Ssangbangwool.
Source: Yonhap News Agency