South Korea’s Park would leave economy mired in challenges
SEOUL, South Korea — The heir to the Samsung empire and other tycoons took a public drubbing by lawmakers Tuesday over deep-rooted ties between politics and business that helped drive South Korea’s economic ascent but are central to its political crisis.
The questioning on national TV of Samsung Electronics vice chairman Lee Jae-yong, 48-year-old only son of the company’s ailing chairman, and eight other business leaders was in response to prosecution claims that President Park Geun-hye allowed a corrupt confidante to pull government strings and extort big sums from companies.