Former South Korean president Lee Myung-bak has admitted receiving $100,000 from the State spy agency while still in office, reports said on Thursday, after he faced a marathon interrogation by prosecutors over corruption allegations.
Lee returned home on Thursday after lengthy questioning as he became the last of the country's living ex-leaders to be embroiled in a criminal inquiry.
He denied most corruption charges but admitted taking the off-book funds from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) via a presidential aide, Yonhap news agency said today, citing a prosecution official.
Allegations of graft involving the conservative 76-year-old's relatives and aides during his term have mounted in recent weeks as prosecutors investigate multiple cases of bribery amounting to millions of dollars.