Lee Myung-hee, the wife of South Korea's Hanjin group chief Cho Yang-ho.[Photograph by Yoo Dae-gil = dbeorlf123@ajunews.com]
SEOUL -- The wife of South Korea's Hanjin group chief Cho Yang-ho was questioned by a court Monday over the legality of an arrest warrant requested by state prosecutors as her daughter appeared at the office customs officials over alleged smuggling and tax evasion.
TV footages showed Lee Myung-hee making a brief apology when she walked into a court in Seoul. If arrested, she would be the first wife of South Korean conglomerate chiefs for "Gapjil" that means an abuse of power such as mistreatment, arrogant behavior, crude talk, character assassination, and insults.
Lee, 69, has been widely criticized as a typical example of Gapjil. There have been widespread public calls for her punishment since police launched a probe into her wrongdoing last month.
After a two-hour session with judges, Lee was escorted into a police station in central Seoul, waiting for a decision by the court.
She was questioned by police twice last week, based on testimonies from 11 victims. Police said Lee was involved in 24 cases of crimes against 11 people from 2011. She allegedly hurled a pair of pruning shears at a security guard in his house for failing to take care of the house door properly, kicked a chauffeur for a mistake in the street, beat a gardener and slapped a construction worker.
Lee is also suspected of assaulting employees of Hanjin, a family-run conglomerate known as chaebol, which controls Korean Air, the country's top flag carrier. Allegations about her insulting remarks and abusive treatment of her personal staff and construction workers renovating her home fueled public anger at a time when her two daughters were investigated.
Law enforcement authorities have launched a barrage of interrogations into the ruling family's illegal activities, abuse of power, assaults, tax evasion and smuggling of luxury goods.
Police have questioned Lee's youngest daughter, Cho Hyun-min, on charges of assault. She lost her temper during a business meeting on March 16 and threw a glass cup at an advertising company official. Many South Koreans saw it as emblematic of a generation of spoilt and arrogant offsprings of chaebol owners.
Cho Hyun-ah, the former Korean Air vice president. [Yonhap Photo]
Lee’s eldest daughter, Cho Hyun-ah, who formerly served as Korean Air vice president, has been quizzed by immigration authorities over allegations that she and her mother have illegally hired Filipino housemaids at their homes.
Cho Hyun-ah was arrested in 2014 for an onboard tantrum when served macadamia nuts in a bag rather than a bowl. She was imprisoned for a year for violating aviation law but she was released in May 2015 after an appeals court suspended her sentence.
On Monday, Lee's eldest daughter was questioned by customs officials in Incheon west of Seoul over allegations that she brought in personal goods purchased overseas without paying taxes.
reporter
Lim Chang-won
cwlim34@ajunews.com
