The former Gyeonggi provincial employee who blew the whistle on alleged corporate card abuse by the wife of main opposition Democratic Party(DP) chief Lee Jae-myung when he was governor appeared for questioning by the prosecution on Thursday.

Prior to his appearance, Cho Myeong-hyeon said he will faithfully cooperate in the investigation as he prepared to respond to the prosecution, which summoned him twice last week.

At the start of the week, the state investigative agency raided Gyeonggi provincial government offices to obtain related evidence, while restaurants and stores where the card was allegedly used for payment were also subject to searches.

Prosecutors have identified Lee, who is accused of condoning his wife's illicit card use, as a suspect on charges of breach of official duty.