Kang Sun-woo Appears After 22 Days...Will the Truth Be Found Amid Conflicting Testimonies and Vanished Evidence? [Comprehensive]

[The Financial News] Independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, formerly of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who is suspected of receiving 100 million won in nomination kickbacks from Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung, appeared before police and was questioned for the first time. It has been 22 days since the nomination kickback allegations first surfaced. However, with the parties’ statements sharply contradicting each other and most of the evidence already gone, it remains uncertain whether the truth can be fully uncovered.
Starting at 9 a.m. on the 20th, the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency summoned Kang as a suspect on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and questioned her over the allegations raised against her.
Kang is suspected of having received 100 million won from Council member Kim ahead of the 2022 local elections in return for securing Kim’s nomination as a Seoul Metropolitan Council candidate, and then later returning the money. The allegation emerged after, on December 29 last year, an audio recording was released in which Kang and lawmaker Kim Byung-kee—who at the time served on the Democratic Party of Korea Seoul Metropolitan Chapter Nomination Committee—discussed how to respond to the alleged exchange of nomination kickbacks.
Kang, however, has partially denied the charges, maintaining that "the exchange of money was a matter between former secretary-general Mr. Nam and Council member Kim, and that she only learned of it afterward and immediately ordered the money to be returned."
Speaking to reporters before heading into the interrogation room that morning, Kang said, "I sincerely apologize to the people for causing concern over this matter," adding, "I will faithfully undergo questioning and state the facts as they are." She went on to insist, "I have lived my life by certain principles, and I have adhered to those principles." She did not answer questions such as, "Did you personally receive the 100 million won in nomination kickbacks?" and "After receiving the money, did you help secure the nomination for Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung?"
Investigators plan to focus their questioning of Kang on whether she actually received the 100 million won, whether she was aware of the money at the time it was delivered, when and under what circumstances it was returned, and whether there was a quid pro quo involving the nomination. They also intend to look into why Kim still received a single-candidate nomination even though the 100 million won was allegedly returned.
The conflicting testimonies of Council member Kim and former secretary-general Nam are another key point police must clarify. Kim has reportedly told investigators that Nam first proposed the nomination kickback, using the term "one sheet" to demand 100 million won, and that he then delivered the money directly to Kang. Nam, on the other hand, is said to have denied both proposing a kickback and delivering any money, instead stating that "he merely loaded an unidentified item into a car at Kang’s direction."
Before summoning Kang, police had already questioned Council member Kim three times as a suspect and had also summoned former secretary-general Nam three times. They attempted to conduct a face-to-face cross-examination between Kim and Nam, but it fell through after Kim refused to participate. Based on Kang’s statement taken that day, police plan to review whether to summon her again, whether to seek custody of any of the parties involved, and the overall direction of the investigation going forward.
There are, however, growing expectations that uncovering the substantive truth will not be easy. Shortly after the allegations surfaced, Council member Kim abruptly left for the United States of America (US) in what appeared to be an attempt to flee, and he deleted his Telegram and KakaoTalk accounts. The personal computers secured from the city council were reportedly either partially formatted or essentially empty. The laptop and tablet Kim had been using were not seized during the initial search and seizure; they were later submitted voluntarily by Kim.
Police have also been unable to unlock the iPhone submitted by Kang. Given that the incident occurred four years ago, it is considered highly unlikely that Closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage or mobile phone location data that could corroborate the events at the time still exist.
Meanwhile, police have questioned, as a complainant, the head of a civil society organization who filed a complaint alleging that the party leadership turned a blind eye to and abetted the nomination kickback allegations involving lawmaker Kim Byung-kee. The complaint accuses former lawmaker Kim, Chief Presidential Secretary for Aides Kim Hyun-ji of the Office of the President of South Korea, and Jung Chung-rae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, of aiding obstruction of business by fraudulent means.
The civil society organization claims that, despite allegations that Kim received 30 million won in nomination kickbacks from two former Dongjak District council members in connection with the 2020 general election and later returned the money, no meaningful action was taken and he was again nominated for the 22nd general election. The related petition was reportedly delivered in December 2023 to Chief Presidential Secretary for Aides Kim, who at the time was an aide in the office of party leader Lee Jae Myung.


jjw@fnnews.com Jung Ji-woo Reporter