Prosecutors are seeking a 15-year prison sentence for former Gyeonggi Province Vice Governor Lee Hwa-young for his alleged involvement in the illegal transfer of millions of dollars to North Korea by Ssangbangwool Group.

Prosecutors requested the Suwon District Court on Monday to issue the sentence for Lee who was indicted on October 14, 2022 on charges of bribery, violating the foreign exchange transactions law and the political fund law.  

The prosecution also requested the court to slap Lee with a fine of one billion won, or around 738-thousand U.S. dollars. 

Lee is accused of pocketing bribes and illegal political funds from Ssangbangwool Group. He is also accused of colluding with the underwear maker to transfer eight million dollars to the North between January 2019 and January 2020.

When making its request, the prosecution said the latest case is a serious case of collusion between politicians and businesses involving business rights over inter-Korean economic cooperation projects.