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.
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 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 said on Monday.
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 Lee when he formally leaves office in January.