Prosecutors in South Korea have arrested the second son of the President, Kim Dae-jung, on corruption charges.

I am ashamed and feel guilty about not being able to take care of my sons properly

South Korean President Kim Dae-jung

Kim Hong-up, 52, was detained on Friday after a court issued an arrest warrant on grounds that the charges against him were convincing, Yonhap news agency reported.

He is the second of President Kim's sons to be charged with corruption. Kim Hong-up's younger brother, Kim Hong-gul, is in jail awaiting trial.

Just minutes after the arrest, President Kim apologised on national television, saying: "I am ashamed and feel guilty about not being able to take care of my sons properly."

Denial

Kim Hong-up has denied allegations that he was involved in money laundering and peddling influence in business deals.

In a statement, prosecutors said Kim Hong-up received 2.2 billion won ($1.8m) in bribes from companies in exchange for trying to influence government officials.

In one case, prosecutors said Kim Hong-gul received $819,000 from a construction firm in exchange for helping the company win creditor approval of a debt-relief plan.

Family crisis

Kim Hong-up's younger brother, Kim Hong-gul, was charged earlier this month with evading tax and influence peddling.

The growing family scandal has been a huge blow to the president, who has just a few months left in office and is constitutionally barred from seeking a second term.

The scandals have also been blamed for the defeat of the governing Millennium Democratic Party, founded by President Kim, in last week's local elections.

The polls were seen as a test of voter intentions ahead of key end-of-year presidential elections.

President Kim himself is not implicated in any of the scandals, but in South Korea, a highly Confucian society, the misdeeds of the child are often blamed on the parents.

President Kim had made the fight against corruption a top priority when he first took office, but a series of corruption scandals involving not only his family, but his top aides, have undermined his credibility.