Opposition leader Lee Jae-myung will appear before prosecutors this week for questioning over allegations of third-party bribery in connection with a company's allegedly illegal money transfers to North Korea, a party spokesperson said Wednesday.

The announcement by Park Sung-joon, a spokesperson of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP), follows the Suwon District Prosecutors Office's summons of Lee issued earlier in the day.

Park said the DP leader will present himself before prosecutors for questioning Thursday morning, quoting him as saying that "I will squarely respond to the investigation."

Should Lee show up Thursday, 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.

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. (Yonhap)