South Korean opposition leader Lee Jae Myung on Monday denied holding talks with a tycoon accused of transferring millions of dollars to North Korea for various projects.
The tycoon himself, Kim Seong Tae, former chairman of Ssangbangwool Group, said in statements to the prosecutor’s office that Lee thanked him during a phone conversation for sending $8 million (7.4 million euros) to North Korea in 2019 from the Gyeonggi provincial government, which he headed. Lee was then scheduled to visit North Korea, among other projects.
This contradicts the opponent’s statements, who has reiterated that he did not know the tycoon, according to information from Yonhap news agency. However, Kim has claimed that the talks took place in January 2019 when he held a meeting in China with a former senior official from Gyeonggi Province and a member of North Korea’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.
Lee has again rejected the allegations made against him and said he was at a court hearing at the time of the alleged meeting. He called the accusations a «novel» by the prosecution and disassociated himself from Kim’s North Korea lobby.
During the last few months, the opposition has faced a series of investigations for several corruption scandals surrounding a local soccer team, issues that he has also denied.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
