Before going to the prosecutor’s office, Lee held a press conference at GNP headquarters at 10 a.m., during which he said, "As the presidential candidate, I was the one who ordered that illegal campaign funds be raised, and since it's entirely my responsibility, it's only natural that I should be punished." He added, "This is entirely my burden to bear, and I will go to jail."

Apologizing to the people, Lee said, "During the last presidential election, our party received and used around W50 billion in illegal contributions from corporations."

"Following this press conference, I will voluntarily appear before prosecutors, testify to these facts, and be judged according to the laws of the nation,” he said.

"No matter how much you believe that winning the presidential election is the path to saving the nation, choosing illegal methods such as these is never right, and I am deeply sorry," he said. Lee also said the he wished to clearly state that if additional illegal sums are discovered, that would also be his responsibility.

"For this, Choi Don-woong, former head of finances, and former secretary general Kim Young-iel have been questioned by prosecutors, and former legal advisor Surh Jeong-woo and former finance bureau head Lee Jae-hyun have been detained," he said.

"As the presidential candidate, I naturally oversaw corporations giving these people large sums of money. And as the presidential candidate, the final responsibility rests with me, and it's fitting that I should be punished,” Lee said.

"Since I am submitting myself for punishment, I entreat that from now on, these people are shown the greatest possible leniency under law, and that the businessmen connected with this matter by released from the fetters of politics and be allowed to once again devote themselves to saving the economy," he said.

He said the dark past of illegal campaign contributions has this nation by the wrists, but as long as associates are punished while those with the final responsibility hide behind them, that past can never be liquidated, adding that it was his determination to end the recent chaos, and his sincere wish to become an instrument of true political reform that brings about historical progress and bring forth a new era.

"The GNP has moved beyond me, but it is my earnest wish that the party be reborn as one that does its all for the nation and receives the love of the citizens,” Lee said.

In the meantime, the Central Investigation Division of the Supreme Public Prosecutors’ Office questioned Lee Monday about his collection of illegal funds during last year’s presidential election. Lee, however, provided few details about the fundraising, the prosecution said.

The prosecutors questioned Lee as a witness, and are to decide whether to summon his again after investigating other figures in the case.

The prosecutors are to question Choi Don-woong on Tuesday about whether he received an order from Lee to raise funds illegally. The prosecutors eventually requested an arrest warrant for Choi after the lawmaker had refused several times to appear before the prosecution.

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