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Police summon Maestro Chung over embezzlement allegations

July 15, 2016

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) — Maestro Chung Myung-whun was summoned by police Friday to face questioning over alleged embezzlement, a day after he was grilled by prosecutors over a rumor scandal surrounding the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO).

The 63-year-old conductor appeared at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul over suspicions he unlawfully used the orchestra’s assets for personal expenses.

Chung declined to comment on any of the allegations raised against him.

Earlier on Thursday, the maestro was summoned by prosecutors over a legal battle with Park Hyun-jung, the ex-CEO of the orchestra.

Employees at the orchestra filed a complaint with police against Park in December 2014, saying she sexually and verbally harassed the staff. Park stepped down from office that month, shortly after the scandal erupted.

Police, however, concluded in March that Chung’s wife, 67, identified only by her surname Koo, is suspected of ordering Chung’s secretary to spread the rumors. Koo, known to be in France, is flatly denying the charges.

Following the police announcement, the 54-year-old Park filed a petition with the prosecution, seeking an investigation into Chung on libel charges.

Chung also filed a counterclaim against Park on charges of defamation and false accusation.

Amid the legal wrangling, the maestro resigned as the orchestra’s music director after a decade of service at the end of last year.

South Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, a former conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), answers reporters' questions at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul on July 15, 2016. Police summoned the maestro for questioning over allegations of embezzlement while in office. He resigned as the SPO conductor in December 2015 amid a scandal involving the former CEO of the orchestra.

South Korean maestro Chung Myung-whun, a former conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra (SPO), answers reporters’ questions at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul on July 15, 2016. Police summoned the maestro for questioning over allegations of embezzlement while in office. He resigned as the SPO conductor in December 2015 amid a scandal involving the former CEO of the orchestra.