(2nd LD) Opposition leader summoned for questioning for 5th time

▲ Lee Jae-myung, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party, answers a reporter's question while entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors Office on Aug. 17, 2023, to undergo questioning over allegations that he had provided administrative favors to a private developer for a property project in the Baekhyeon-dong district in Seongnam, just south of Seoul, while serving as the mayor in the mid-2010s. (Yonhap)

(2nd LD) DP leader-prosecution

(2nd LD) Opposition leader summoned for questioning for 5th time

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SEOUL/SUWON, South Korea, Aug. 23 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was summoned Wednesday to appear before prosecutors for questioning over allegations of third-party bribery in connection with a company's allegedly illegal money transfers to North Korea, sources said.

Should Lee, chairman of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), comply with the summons, it would be the fifth time that he has appeared for prosecution questioning. Lee has been under investigation over a series of corruption allegations that he claims were fabricated.

Hours after the Suwon District Prosecutors Office summoned Lee, DP spokesperson Park Sung-joon announced that Lee will present himself for questioning Thursday morning, quoting him as saying that "I will squarely respond to the investigation."

The prosecutors office, however, turned down Lee and reaffirmed its plan to question him on Aug. 30, citing scheduling issues.

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.

Lee served as Gyeonggi governor from 2018 to 2021.

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.

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