Former Vice Knowledge and Economy Minister Park Young-joon was grilled by the prosecutors on Wednesday over suspected bribery in the certification of a construction project named Picity.

“I will faithfully comply with the prosecutors’ investigation,” Park told reporters in front of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul.

He shook his head in response to reporters’ questioning of whether he admitted to receiving any bribes in return for favors, adding he will clarify the truth before the prosecutors.

The former vice minister dubbed the “king’s man” for his close relations with President Lee Myung-bak, is suspected of receiving hundreds of millions of won in bribes from Picity’s then-representative Lee Jeong-bae through a broker named Lee Dong-ryul around 2007.

He is also reportedly suspected of laundering the alleged bribes through the bank accounts of his close associate and businessman Lee Dong-jo.

Former Korea Communications Commission Chairman Choi See-joong, another suspect in the high-profile bribery investigation, is currently in custody over the same bribery charges.

Prosecutors are expected to hone in on whether Park received money from Lee Jeong-bae during his term in the Seoul Metropolitan Government where he was in charge of political affairs. Lee Jeong-bae had testified that he delivered around 100 million won ($88,300,000) over three or four occasions. Park is also suspected of receiving 1 billion won from Lee Jeong-bae to use for his apartment purchase.

Prosecutors are expected to seek an arrest warrant on Park once the interrogation is completed as early as this week.

The bribery probe is fast spreading to Seoul City, with the prosecutors having questioned by as many as six former and incumbent officials so far in order to confirm any alleged influence they received from Choi or Park over approving the Picity construction. The change of the use of land that used to house a cargo terminal to become an integrated retail and distribution complex was approved by the city in 2006. The final construction plan was permitted by Seocho-gu ward office in 2009.

By Lee Joo-hee (jhl@heraldcorp.com)