SEOUL: South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak’s wife will be questioned in writing by special prosecutors probing alleged irregularities in the purchase of a retirement home for her husband, officials said yesterday. The questioning of First Lady Kim Yoon-Ok comes at a sensitive time, with South Korea just weeks away from a presidential election on December 19.
Park Geun-Hye, daughter of assassinated military dictator Park Chung-Hee, will contest from President Lee’s ruling New Frontier Party.
Prosecutors have already grilled Lee’s brother and son, but assistant special counsel Lee Chang-Hoon said protocol dictated that Kim would not be required to appear before the investigation team in person.
“We have decided to conduct a written questioning of the first lady,” Lee told reporters.
The probe is focused on alleged irregularities in the purchase of a plot of land on the southern edge of Seoul to build a retirement home for President Lee when he formally leaves office in January.
Taiwan tests new anti-ship missile
TAIPEI: Taiwan tested its longest range ship-to-ship missile within a month of China putting its first aircraft carrier into service, a report said yesterday.
Dubbed an “aircraft carrier killer”, the missile has a range of 400 kilometres (250 miles) and is capable of achieving Mach 3.0, or triple the speed of sound, the Taipei-based United Daily News reported.
“The Chung-shan Institute of Science and Technology finished a series of tests off Taiwan last month,” it said, in reference to Taiwan’s arms development unit.
“No ship is capable of withstanding its high-velocity impact,” the paper quoted an unnamed military source as saying.
AFP
