Lotte vice chairman Lee In-won found dead amid corruption probe

Vice chairman of Lotte Group, South Korea’s fifth-largest conglomerate, was found dead on Friday, suspected of committing suicide before appearing for questioning amid the ongoing criminal probe into the group on allegations of slush funds and embezzlement.

Local media reported that Lee took his own life. After finding Lee’s identification in his clothes, the police also found a four-page suicide note in his auto found near the site of the incident, Yonhap News Agency reported. Police were trying to confirm the body was Lee’s, Yonhap said, adding that a suicide note was found in the executive’s auto. It was around 7:11 a.m., according to police. He said he was going out for a workout, they said.

Lotte Group confirmed the death of Vice Chairman Lee In-won, which comes after the group was riven by a family succession feud previous year and subjected in June to widespread raids by government prosecutors.

Lee is now the Vice Chairman of Lotte Group and has been its Director since 1997.

“He (Lee) oversaw Lotte Group’s overall housekeeping and core businesses and accurately understood the minds of Chairman-in-Chief Shin Kyuk-ho and Chairman Shin Dong-bin to be carried out well in subsidiary companies”, Lotte Group said in a statement.

State prosecutors have been widening their probe into the retail giant after launching a full-fledged raid in June, followed by a series of summons of its executives. Hwang has played a key role in the strategic planning division. Shin Young Ja is accused of taking bribe from a cosmetic maker against preferential treatment for its products at Lotte’s stores. Lee was scheduled to be questioned here Friday and had apparently been preparing with legal counsel until the day before. They said he had left home around 10 p.m. on Thursday. A likely suicide note was found in a vehicle parked nearby. Sung was found dead just hours before he was set to attend a trial to determine the legitimacy of his arrest.

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Lotte Group said Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, Lee has been.

Lee In-won, who was 69, was Lotte’s vice chairman, the company’s highest-ranking executive outside the founding family. The prosecution expressed its condolences and said it will review future investigation plans.