SEOUL, June 12 (AJU PRESS) - On Wednesday, prosecutors indicted Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the main opposition Democratic Party, on charges of involvement in an unauthorized money transfer to North Korea about five years ago.
The former Gyeonggi Province Governor is accused of pressing underwear maker Ssangbangwool Group, through Lee Hwa-young, a former vice Gyeonggi governor, to illegally transfer around $8 million to North Korea between January 2019 and January 2020. In return, Lee allegedly promised to facilitate the group's business in North Korea.
The Suwon District Prosecutors Office said that Lee was charged with third-party bribery and violation of laws on foreign exchange transactions.
With the latest indictment, Lee now faces a total of four ongoing court trials regarding allegations of land project-related bribery, violation of election laws, and perjury.
Previously, prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Lee over the remittance to North Korea and other charges in September last year, but the Seoul Central District Court refused to issue the warrant.
The indictment came about a week after the former vice Gyeonggi governor was sentenced to nine years and six months in prison on multiple charges including the underwear maker's unauthorized money transfer to North Korea.
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