KIM MAN-BAE INTERROGATED FOR 14 HOURS

[Anchor Lead]

A major shareholder at Hwacheondaeyu, which is at the heart of the Daejangdong land development scandal, has been interrogated for 14 hours. Kim Man-bae is said to have denied all allegations against him.

[Pkg]

​​​Kim Man-bae, a major shareholder at Hwacheondaeyu, was grilled until 12:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The interrogation lasted 14 hours.

[Soundbite] Kim Man-bae(Major Hwacheondaeyu shareholder) : "(How did you explain the controversy about the actual owner of Cheonhwadongin?) I told only the truth."

He told reporters that Cheonhwadongin No. 1 belongs to Hwacheondaeyu, which he said was his private company, reiterating that he's the owner of the firm. He added his earlier remarks about Cheonhwadongin No. 1 being half-owned by someone else were made to avoid further conflict regarding ownership. Kim says he has never had a serious conversation with accountant Jeong Young-hak, adding that the audio file recorded by Jeong lacks credibility. Prior to the interrogation, Kim denied all the allegations against him. Prosecutors reportedly questioned Kim about whether he lobbied Seongnam Development Corporation and Seongnam City Council. They also interrogated him on suspicions he gave a 500 million won bribe to former Seongnam Development Corporation executive Yoo Dong-kyu. The audio file, submitted to prosecutors by Jeong, contains a recording saying Kim promised Yoo 25 percent of land development profits while Yoo demanded 70 billion won. Prosecutors are investigating if Kim raised 35 billion won for lobbying and provided billions of won in bribes to Seongnam City Council. Kim is said to have denied the accusations. Prosecutors will soon summon Kim again for further questioning given the seriousness of the allegations.