Seoul: South Korean state prosecutors indicted former Prime Minister Han Myeong Sook today on charges of taking bribes from a former business executive, a report said.
Han, who has not been detained, is suspected of receiving USD 50,000 from Kwak Young Wook, a former chief executive officer of Korea Express Co, at the prime minister's residence in December 2006, Yonhap News Agency reported.
In return for the money, Kwak allegedly asked Han to help him get appointed as president of the state-run Korea Coal Corp.
She has denied the charge, arguing the investigation is politically motivated. Prosecutors questioned Han last Friday.
Han, 65, South Korea's first female prime minister, served under the late President Roh Moo Hyun from April 2006 to March 2007.
Currently a senior adviser to the main opposition Democratic Party, Han has been tipped as a potential Democratic Party candidate for the Seoul mayoral election next June.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 17:51