SEOUL, June 21: Prosecutors arrested another son of South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung on charges of corruption Friday, forcing the leader to lower his head in apology to the public.

“Over the past few months, I have felt thoroughly responsible for not taking proper care of my sons,” Kim said in a live televised speech.

“I have lived in shame and apologise for hurting the hearts of people who supported me. Again, I express my apology.”

The long-faced South Korean leader said he felt he could not even hold his head high in public out of shame. He then lowered his head for a few seconds before reading out the brief apology statement.

Kim vowed his sons would not receive any preferential treatment from authorities.

“My sons will be sternly punished under the law,” he said.

The president’s comments came shortly after the arrest of his second son, Kim Hong-Up, 53, who is accused of taking 2.28 billion won (1.85 million dollars) from businessmen in return for influence-peddling.

Hong-Up’s younger brother, Kim Hong-Gul, 38, was also detained on graft and tax-evasion charges last month and is scheduled to stand trial on June 28.

The scandals have badly tarnished the image of President Kim, who took office in early 1998 on a pledge to fight graft.

The snowballing graft scandals hit not only the first family but also the head of POSCO, the world’s biggest steel maker in South Korea.

Prosecutors on Friday again summoned POSCO Chairman Yoo Sang-Boo, 60, for questioning over his links to the corruption scandal involving Kim Hong-Gul.

Yoo has been suspected of having illegally pressed POSCO subsidiaries and contractors to purchase the shares of a scandal-linked lottery firm at inflated prices for Kim Hong-Gul, the third son of President Kim.

A vice president of POSCO and a vice president of a POSCO subsidiary were also questioned, prosecution officials said.

Prosecutors said Kim Hong-Up accepted one billion won from a construction company in August 1999 in return for arranging for the bankrupt company to be rescued through a debt rescheduling by state-controlled banks.

He is also charged with accepting 750 million won from another business which was seeking to avoid a probe by prosecutors and financial watchdogs over its operations. Kim Hong-Up has denied the charges against him, saying firms of his acquaintances had given him money for political activities but this had not been intended as bribes.

He has also been accused of laundering 2.8 billion won through the Peace Foundation for the Asia-Pacific Region, a private think-tank founded by his father to promote ways of ending conflict in the region.

“Kim Hong-Up started agreeing circumstances where he exerted influence. We also have secured statements by other witnesses,” a senior prosecutor, Park Mahn, told journalists.—AFP