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| ▲ Lee Jae-myung, chair of the Democratic Party, heads toward the Suwon District Prosecutors Office for questioning on Sept. 9, 2023. (Yonhap) |
opposition leader-questioning
Opposition leader set to appear for questioning over suspected illegal remittance to N. Korea
SEOUL, Sept. 12 (Yonhap) -- Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung was set to appear before prosecutors Tuesday for his second questioning over allegations of his involvement in a company's illegal remittance to North Korea in 2019.
Lee, chair of the main opposition Democratic Party, was set to show up at the Suwon District Prosecutors Office at 1:30 p.m. to face questioning on charges of third-party bribery, three days after he underwent the first round of questioning on Saturday.
The investigation centers on allegations that Ssangbangwool Group, an underwear maker, illegally transferred US$8 million to North Korea between January 2019 and January 2020 on behalf of Gyeonggi Province.
Prosecutors suspect that, of the total remittance, $5 million was meant for Gyeonggi's smart farm support program in North Korea while the remaining $3 million was what the North had demanded as the cost of facilitating Lee's visit to North Korea.
Lee has been on a hunger sit-in against the Yoon Suk Yeol administration since Aug. 31.
Prosecutors plan to have medical workers and an ambulance on standby for Tuesday's questioning, which is expected to focus on the circumstances of the $3 million remittance to North Korea and other suspicions.
Lee has squarely rejected all allegations against him.
Following his questioning on Saturday, Lee told reporters that the investigation team "failed to put forward even a single piece of evidence" and accused the prosecution of "trying to cook up crimes out of what commonsensically would have not been possible."
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