DP chief Lee Jae-myung appears for his sixth round of questioning

This is the sixth time he had been summoned to the prosecutor's office this year, with the latest inquiry taking place just four days after he was questioned regarding illegal money transfers to North Korea on Saturday.

Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung appears at the Suwon District Prosecutors' Office in Suwon, Gyeonggi, on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Democratic Party (DP) leader Lee Jae-myung appeared at Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday to face questioning over his alleged involvement in illegally wiring money to North Korea.

The inquiry lasted for less than two hours.

“I will see if they can present any evidence against me,” Lee said before entering the prosecutors’ office.

“A large number of prosecutors have investigated me, including raiding so many places over the past two years," Lee added. "However, they have come up empty because the charges are untrue.”

He argued that prosecutors were trying to frame him as a criminal with numerous allegations.

“I am not foolish enough to ask a gangster and an illegal loan shark, who is now a corrupt businessman, to pay a large sum of 10 billion won ($8 million) to North Korea just to take a photo in the country,” Lee said.

“No matter how hard they try to make me into a criminal, you cannot make up something that is untrue,” Lee said.

The DP chief criticized President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of trying to tighten his grip on power while destroying his political enemies and ruling the country with violence.

This is the sixth time he had been summoned to the prosecutor's office this year, with the latest inquiry taking place just four days after he was questioned regarding the North Korea case on Saturday.

Lee was questioned for eight hours on Saturday. However, Lee did not sign his affidavit, claiming that the investigators did not accurately represent his statement.

Politicians and pundits speculate that the prosecutor’s office may seek an arrest warrant motion next week.

If they do, the National Assembly will need to vote on whether to waive Lee’s protection against the arrest warrant, as stipulated by law.

In February, Lee narrowly avoided a court evaluation of his arrest warrant by one vote. To secure passage of an arrest warrant against a sitting legislator, more than half of the National Assembly must be present, and a majority of present lawmakers must consent.

Lee is implicated in the illegal transfer of $8 million by the Sssangbangwool Group to North Korea between 2018 and 2019.

Prosecutors suspect the payment was made to secure an invitation to North Korea for Lee, who was Gyeonggi governor at the time.

There is speculation that Lee sought the invitation from North Korea to solidify his position within the Democratic Party, which has historically been more lenient toward North Korea.

HIs ultimate goal allegedly was to secure the party’s nomination as its presidential candidate.

The transaction especially took place when South and North Korea had experienced a dramatic setback in relations — despite efforts by then-President Moon Jae-in — in the wake of the failed Hanoi Summit between then-U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Lee allegedly wanted to build a reputation as somebody who could solve problems between North and South Korea.

Despite being the governor of Gyeonggi, a province with a long border with North Korea, he was not included in President Moon’s delegation during a 2018 visit to Pyongyang.

Then-Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Gangwon Governor Choi Moon-soon, close confidants of Moon, were included in the delegation.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]