Reiterating the claim made last month in Tokyo that presidential candidate Chung Mong-joon had masterminded the stock price manipulation of Hyundai Electronics in 2000, Lee Ik-chi, former chair of Hyundai Securities said Saturday that he will tell further on other allegations in a press conference he would call this week.

Lee returned to the country from the United States unexpectedly Saturday morning. Upon arrival at the airport, Lee said he has all the evidence that would indicate his innocence over suspicions of him offering a bribe to have his son skip military service.

Commenting on the allegation that the candidate Chung has been using the company fund of Hyundai Heavy Industries, to which his is the largest shareholder, for his election campaign, Lee called for the reporters at the press conference Saturday to keep a close watch on the fact that the heavy industry giant's personnel expenses have recently hiked recently despite the number of workers remaining unchanged from before 1988 and thereafter.

Meanwhile, the Seoul District Prosecutors' Office decided to ban Lee from overseas travel, summon him and investigate the case as the Democratic Labor Party filed a suit against Chung on the allegations of involvement in the stock manipulation scandal.

(Ahn Seok-bae, sbahn@chosun.com )