Leader of the opposition Democratic Party in South Korea Lee Jae Myung is accused of bribing his deputy during his time as Governor of Kyunggi Province (2019 - 2020).

He is said to have asked Ssangbangwool Group to illegally transfer $8 million to North Korea to promote a commercial project as well as facilitate his visit to Pyongyang, which would have burnished his status as a rising political figure.

Ssangbangwool is a business conglomerate that started out as an underwear manufacturer and later expanded into other business areas.

Mr Lee has denied any involvement in the scheme. “I’m not that stupid,” Mr Lee said last year, calling the charges against him “fictional” as the court rejected his arrest warrant.

Mr. Lee was the Democratic Party's candidate for President of South Korea in 2022, and he lost narrowly to Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol. Mr. Lee is considered a major candidate for the next presidential election in 2027.

Mr. Lee is also on separate trial on corruption charges stemming from his tenure as mayor of a city near Seoul.

The first summit between North and South Korea in 2000 was supposed to be the start of a period of engagement, but subsequent relations between the two countries have not progressed.

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)