It's D-Day for one of the most famous faces in Korean politics.
Ex-president Lee Myung-bak is to appear before prosecutors for questioning as a suspect over a slew of corruption allegations.
Let's connect to our Oh Jung-hee at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office.
Jung-hee,... if you wouldn't mind,... just give us a recap of the historic moment... and also we are keen to know what to expect over the course of the day....
Yes, Mark...
Ex-president Lee Myung-bak appeared here at Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office slightly earlier than we expected -- 7 minutes earlier in fact.
and as he appeared... the atmosphere heated up here... with reporters surrounding the ex-president...
Just as we expected,... before entering the building, Lee stopped by the photo line in front of the office to deliver a brief message to the nation.
"I'm sorry to have caused troubles amid the economic difficulties and the grave security situation,... and I send my apologies to my supporters and to people experiencing difficulties. I have lots to share with people as the country's former president, but I know that I should keep my message short. In history, this should be the last such trouble. I again express my apologies."
Just for a brief recap, he's been firmly denying the allegations,... calling the investigation against him and his aides... political retaliation from the current Moon Jae-in administration.
Now that he's inside the prosecutors' office, it's expected he has been taken to meet with senior prosecution officials.
Then, he'll be interrogated on the tenth floor... in the exact same room where Park Geun-hye was questioned.
The entirety of the questioning will be recorded.
Throughout the day, there's a possibility Lee could be cross-interrogated with some of his former aides, including a couple of then-presidential secretaries and his asset manager... as they've been quite cooperative for the prosecution and provided detailed testimonies.
It's going to be a long day for both the prosecutors and for Lee... and the questioning is expected to last the whole day.
It could end before midnight,... but most don't think Lee will be able to leave before tomorrow morning, after prosecutors take a look through their interrogation records through the night.
And we'll probably have to wait until the weekend to see whether the prosecution will seek an arrest warrant for the former president.
Mark.
