Police Seek Arrest Warrants for Kang Sun-woo and Kim Kyung as Clash Over 'Split Donations' Intensifies

[Financial News] Police have requested arrest warrants for independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul city council member Kim Kyung, who are under investigation over an alleged 100 million won campaign nomination payment, and have begun procedures to secure their custody. As the investigation has expanded to include suspicions of "split donations," the battle over the truth between the two has intensified.
The Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the morning of the 5th requested arrest warrants from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for Kang and former council member Kim. They are suspected of violating the Political Funds Act, receiving and giving benefits in breach of trust, and violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act.
Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won from Kim ahead of the 2022 local elections in return for helping secure a party nomination. Kim is suspected of delivering the money.
Investigators concluded that party nominations fall under internal party affairs rather than official public duties, and therefore applied charges of receiving and giving benefits in breach of trust instead of bribery. However, police plan to continue investigating and reviewing the legal issues, and may still consider applying bribery charges at the final stage when the case is forwarded.
Kang has admitted receiving a shopping bag but maintains that she did not know it contained money at the time, and that she ordered it returned once she later confirmed what was inside. By contrast, Kim and Kang’s former aide, identified only by the surname Nam, who was also present at the meeting, are reported to have testified that Kang was aware of the cash. Police, however, did not include Nam in the current arrest warrant request.
As a sitting member of the National Assembly, Kang is protected by constitutional parliamentary immunity from arrest while the Assembly is in session. When recently asked by reporters during questioning whether she would waive this immunity, Kang declined to state a clear position.
Kim had previously been viewed as cooperative with the investigation. Nonetheless, by seeking an arrest warrant, police are understood to have concluded that there is a need to secure his custody in light of concerns such as possible destruction of evidence.
The probe has now widened beyond the alleged nomination payment to include suspicions of "split donations." In a recent police interview, Kim reportedly testified that about 130 million won in political donations made under other people’s names in 2022 and 2023 were split up and contributed at the request of Kang’s side. He is also said to have claimed that Kang’s camp even explained the method for dispersing the donations.
Kang has responded with a direct rebuttal on social media (SNS) over the past two days. She argued there was no request for donations, saying, "If I had asked for donations, why would I have returned them, and then returned them again?"
Kang stated that after confirming that large-sum donations had flowed into her campaign accounts in 2022 and 2023, she judged them to be inappropriate and ordered her staff to return the money. Her office explained that about 82 million won was returned in the second half of 2022 and about 50 million won in the second half of 2023.
Regarding the "split donations" allegations, Kang also called for a thorough police investigation and stated, "If it is confirmed that I was involved in any illegal activity, I will not evade responsibility and will actively cooperate with the investigation."
Because Kang and Kim have given conflicting statements, police are closely analyzing the flow of funds and the overall nomination process. Once a decision is made on whether to detain them, the investigation into how the alleged nomination payment was delivered and how the political funds were structured is expected to move into full swing.
425_sama@fnnews.com Choi Seung-han Reporter