S. Korean prosecutors summon Lotte chairman for alleged corruption charges

South Korean prosecutors on Tuesday summoned Shin Dong-bin, chairman of the country's fifth-largest conglomerate Lotte Group, for alleged corruption charges.

Shin, 61, appeared at about 9:20 a.m. local time before the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office on charges of slush funds and embezzlement, which local media outlets estimated to have reached as much as 200 billion won (180 million U.S. dollars).

The summon came about three months after prosecutors raided Lotte Group offices and the houses of some executives on June 10 as part of a broader probe into the group's corruption charges which also include tax evasion.

The chairman's elder brother Shin Dong-joo, 62, was summoned on Sept. 1 for alleged embezzlement, and prosecutors visited the group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, 94, for questioning for three days through Sept. 9 in consideration of his old age.

Shin Young-ja, 74, the founder's eldest daughter, was detained and indicted in July for receiving kickbacks from local companies in return for offering business favors in the group's duty-free shops and department stores.

Lee In-won, the group's vice chairman and the closest aide to Chairman Shin, was found dead in August. His body was found hours before his appearance in the prosecutors' office. Police concluded that he had committed suicide. Enditem