By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) President Jung Yun-joo may be summoned today over alleged breach of trust. A prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Monday that the prosecution will wrap up an investigation into Jung this month.
Prosecutors asked Jung to present himself before today, but it has not been confirmed whether the president will respond to the call. The prosecution will question him over why KBS dropped a lawsuit in which it sought the refund of corporate tax levied by the Seoul Regional Tax Office. Jung dropped the legal case at the high court hastily after reaching an agreement with the tax office in January 2006, although KBS had a chance of winning the suit.
A lower court earlier ordered the tax office to refund 199 billion won to KBS from the 230 billion won the broadcasting network paid in corporate tax, saying the tax office applied the wrong taxation standard. The tax authority appealed, but KBS dropped the suit after agreeing with the office on a refund of 50 billion won.
Prosecutors will interrogate Jung about whether he dropped the case for managerial, personal or political reasons. After questioning, they will decide whether to take legal action against him.
Regarding the summons, KBS said in a statement, ``KBS got a refund of the wrongly-levied taxes through the high court's arbitration in order to finish the exhausting battle with the tax office. KBS' management committee decided to accept arbitration, so Jung did not commit a breach of trust.''
The probe has come amid pressures on him to resign. Since President Lee Myung-bak took office in February, the government has pressed Jung to resign, along with other public firm heads who were appointed during the Roh Moo-hyun administration and have a different political orientation to the Lee government.
KBS' unionized workers also demand Jung's resignation, saying he is politically biased and poor at management.
The opposition parties claim it is a plot to take control of the network.