SEOUL - Former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Wednesday appeared before state prosecutors for questioning over multiple corruption charges including bribery, embezzlement and tax evasion, local TV footage showed.

Lee, who ended his five-year presidential term in February 2013, appeared in the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office as a "criminal suspect" on allegations that he had received tens of millions of US dollars in bribes from the country's intelligence agency and companies, including Samsung Electronics.

He became the latest former South Korean president to be investigated by prosecutors over corruption. Park Geun-hye, Lee's successor, was ousted from office last year, standing trial on charges of bribery and abuse of power.