Rival parties agreed Thursday to summon Shin Dong-bin, chairman of Lotte Group, which underwent a family power struggle, to an annual parliamentary inspection next week.

Shin, along with 40 other businessmen, will be notified to appear as a witness to face questioning at the audit organized by the National Assembly's Fair Trade Committee on Sept. 17.

Shin is being called up as part of the long-standing ritual of parliamentary questioning, which started Thursday. The annual questioning will be run separately from Thursday to Sept. 23 and from Oct. 1 to Oct. 8.

Lotte had been embroiled in a bitter family fight over control of the sprawling business empire, which has reignited sentiment against family-controlled conglomerates, known as chaebol, and prompted an all-out government investigation into the group.

In 2013, Shin was ordered to pay 10 million won ($8,870) in fines for refusing to comply with the call to appear at the annual audit held a year earlier, citing overseas business trips. (Yonhap)