A local court is to hold a hearing Tuesday to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant for former KT Corp. Chairman Lee Suk-chae over his suspected involvement in the telecom giant's hiring scandal.
Lee is to appear at the Seoul Southern District Court at around 10:30 a.m. to attend the hearing, which will review the legality of pretrial detention for him. The court's ruling is expected in the evening.
Lee, who had served as KT chairman from 2009-2013, is suspected of being involved in nine cases of hiring irregularities at KT in 2012.
(Yonhap)
He is accused of giving instructions to provide preferential treatment to nine job applicants with ties to powerful figures, including the daughter of Rep. Kim Sung-tae, a former floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party.
Prosecutors charged Lee with obstruction of business in connection with the alleged hiring irregularities.
Lee, who had also served as the information and communication minister before joining KT, has been summoned by prosecutors twice to be grilled about his role in the KT hiring scandal but reportedly denied the charges against him.
In a related development, Seo Yu-yeol, a former KT president, and Kim Sang-hyo, a former KT executive in charge of personnel affairs, were recently arrested and indicted on charges that they gave undue favors to Rep. Kim's daughter and five other applicants for KT positions in 2012.
Prosecutors suspect that Seo and Kim Sang-hyo gave preferential treatment to some job candidates on an instruction from Lee. (Yonhap)
