▲ The main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung leaves the National Assembly in western Seoul on Sept. 9, 2023, to appear before prosecutors for questioning over his alleged involvement in illegal money transfers to North Korea. (Yonhap)
▲ Lee Jae-myung, leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, arrives at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, on Sept. 9, 2023, for questioning over allegations that he was involved illegal money transfers by Ssangbangwool Group, an underwear manufacturer, to North Korea. (Yonhap)

DP leader-prosecution summon

DP leader appears for prosecution questioning over allegations of illegal money transfers to N. Korea

SEOUL, Sept. 9 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung appeared before prosecutors Saturday for questioning over allegations that he was involved in a company's alleged illegal money transfers to North Korea.

Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), showed up at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul, marking his fifth appearance for prosecution questioning. He was last questioned on Aug. 17.

Lee has been under investigation over a series of corruption allegations that he claims were fabricated.

The investigation centers on allegations that Ssangbangwool Group, an underwear manufacturer, unlawfully remitted US$8 million to North Korea between January 2019 and January 2020 on behalf of Gyeonggi Province.

Prosecutors suspect that $3 million was intended to facilitate Lee's planned visit to Pyongyang, while the remainder was meant for Gyeonggi's smart farm support program in North Korea.

Earlier Saturday, Lee said in a Facebook post that he will not "submit to power" and will "win against the political prosecution's fabricated investigation."

"Public power has become exclusively privatized by the incumbent power and democracy has gone missing since the prosecution came out to the front lines of politics," Lee said.

The summons comes amid Lee's indefinite hunger sit-in against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. He has been on a hunger strike since Aug. 31, calling on the president to apologize to the people for "destroying" their livelihoods and democracy, express opposition to Japan's release of radioactive water into the ocean and thoroughly shake up the Cabinet to improve state affairs.

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