Samsung Group chief appears at South Korea special prosecutor's office

Samsung Group [SAGR.UL] leader Jay Y. Lee appeared at the South Korean special prosecutor's office on Monday for questioning as part of a wider investigation into an influence-peddling scandal that could topple President Park Geun-hye.

Lee, the third-generation leader of South Korea's top conglomerate, has been identified as a suspect on suspicions that he paid bribes to Park's friend, Choi Soon-sil, to pave the way for a controversial 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates.

"I will once again tell the truth to the special prosecution," he told reporters.

(Reporting by Se Young Lee; Editing by Paul Tait)