Main opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung announced through a spokesperson that he would appear before prosecutors for questioning on Aug. 17 over allegations related to a land development project in Seongnam during his tenure as mayor. This would mark Lee’s fourth appearance before the prosecution, as he previously faced questioning over bribery and corruption charges.

The investigation focuses on claims that the Seongnam municipal government may have provided preferential treatment to a private developer, Seongnam R&D PFV. Between 2015 and 2016, this company developed an apartment complex on the previous site of the Korea Food Research Institute in the district. Prosecutors believe the company profited significantly following the city’s decision to relax regulations on allocating certain apartment units for rental homes. They also suspect that Lee played a pivotal role in changing the city’s zoning regulations to benefit the private developer.