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Byeon returned home Sunday night after questioning on suspicions that he abused his office to help Shin’s career and hush up the scandal. Byeon is accused of peddling influence to help Shin while he was minister for planning and budget and a presidential aide. Prosecutors expect to indict him after one or two more rounds of questioning.

Prosecutors plan to cross-examine the pair if necessary. They grilled Byeon over whether he had offered funds to Dongguk if it hired Shin and whether he had pressured corporations to sponsor the Sungkok Art Museum, where Shin earlier worked as a curator. Questioning also focused on whether Byeon exercised his influence to persuade government agencies including the Ministry of Planning and Budget to buy paintings for their offices through Shin. On Sunday afternoon, they examined a computer Byeon used in his office at Cheong Wa Dae in the presence of Cheong Wa Dae computer experts.

Shin was questioned whether she got help from Byeon when she was hired by Dongguk University. The disgraced curator had just returned to Seoul from a two-month escape to the U.S., arriving at Incheon International Airport via Japan on Sunday afternoon. She fled there on July 16, shortly after the scandal erupted. Prosecutors arrested Shin at the airport and took her to the Seoul Western Prosecutors’ Office. Her lawyer Park Jong-rok said she returned to Seoul to reveal the truth as soon as possible.

Former chief presidential secretary for national policy Byeon Yang-kyun appears at the Seoul Western Prosecutors’ Office for questioning over his involvement in a scandal surrounding the disgraced curator Shin Jeong-ah./Newsis

The ex-presidential aide arrived at the Seoul Western Prosecutors’ Office at 2 p.m. Sunday by taxi.

Prosecutors on Sunday also questioned Korea National Housing Corp. President Park Se-heum and Korea Development Bank governor Kim Chang-rok about donations their organizations gave to the Sungkok Art Museum while Shin was working there. KDB gave W70 million (US$1=W928) to the museum and Park contributed W300 million when he was president of Daewoo Engineering and Construction.

(englishnews@chosun.com )