[THE INVESTOR]  Lotte Group founder Shin Kyuk-ho’s common-law wife Seo Mi-kyoung is expected to be forcibly summoned by prosecutors amid their ongoing investigation into the retail giant’s snowballing corruption scandal.

According to prosecutors on Sept. 6, they are considering canceling the passport of the 57-year-old Seo who is currently staying in Japan.

She has been suspected of evading inheritance taxes, about 600 billion won (US$540 million), when she received Lotte Holdings shares from his husband back in 2006. 



Her daughter Shin You-mi, a 33-year-old Japanese national, is also being contacted by prosecutors over allegations that she has been paid more than 100 billion won as a shareholder of Lotte companies.

On Sept. 5, the prosecution summoned the ailing Lotte patriarch on charges of tax evasion and embezzlement, but he asked to delay the questioning citing his deteriorating health condition.

By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)