The prosecution is seeking an arrest warrant for a financial manager of Ssangbangwool Group amid allegations that former chair Kim Seong-tae sent millions of dollars to North Korea to finance a visit to the regime by main opposition Democratic Party(DP) chief Lee Jae-myung.

The Suwon District Prosecutors’ Office said on Sunday that it asked the court to issue a warrant to arrest the man, identified only by his surname Kim, on several charges, including violating the Foreign Exchange Transactions Act with the alleged remittance to the North.

Kim, who is the husband of Kim Seong-tae’s younger sister, had worked as the head of finances for Ssangbangwool Group for over ten years and is suspected of involvement in the procurement of funds sent to the North via two shell companies set up by the former group chief.

Kim Seong-tae is accused of handing over eight million U.S. dollars to North Korean officials in 2019, including five million dollars for a smart farm business project in the North and three million dollars to arrange a visit by DP chief Lee, who was the governor of Gyeonggi Province at the time.

Lee has denied any connection to the case, calling the allegation against him "fiction."