SEOUL (Reuters) - A senior executive of South Korea's Lotte Group has died, the country's fifth-largest family-run conglomerate said on Friday, amid a sweeping criminal probe into the business.
Lotte Group, in a text message to reporters, said it confirmed the death of Vice Chairman Lee In-won through police and other sources. It did not elaborate further or give the cause of death.
Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed sources, reported a body believed to be Lee's was found on a walking path outside Seoul on Friday morning. Police were conducting an investigation to confirm whether the body was Lee's, Yonhap said, adding that a suicide note was found in the executive's car.
Prosecutors raided Lotte offices in June, looking into a possible slush fund as well as breach of trust involving transactions among the group's companies, sources said.
Lee was scheduled to appear before prosecutors Friday morning for questioning, Yonhap said.
Fire department staff and police found a body believed to be Lee's, an official at the Yangpyeong fire department near Seoul told Reuters, declining to be named as he was not authorised to speak to media. Police officials could not be immediately reached for comment.
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A South Korean prosecution official, who declined to be identified as he was not authorised to comment on the matter, expressed condolences for Lee's death and the prosecutors planned to reconsider the schedule for the ongoing investigation.
(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin and Nataly Pak; Writing by Se Young Lee; Editing by Stephen Coates)