Arrest Warrant Sought for Kang Sun-woo: "I Will Not Hide and Will Take Responsibility"

According to Financial News, Kang Sun-woo, an independent lawmaker facing an arrest warrant request over allegations of a "100 million won nomination bribe," sent a personal letter to fellow lawmakers to present her position on the accusations. It was her first official statement since prosecutors sought the warrant.
According to political sources on the 10th, Kang sent a personal letter to lawmakers of the Democratic Party of Korea that day, saying, "I bow my head and sincerely apologize for causing concern over this matter," and adding, "Everything is due to my lack of virtue and my mistakes."
In the letter, Kang addressed the nomination bribe allegations, saying, "100 million won is not worth risking my political life or my entire life," denying any intent to receive illicit funds. She explained, "I met former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung through an introduction from my aide, and I assumed the shopping bag I received at the time was a customary gift, so I stored it in a storage room at home," adding, "I only later learned that there was 100 million won inside."
According to Kang, during a meeting of the Seoul Metropolitan Party Candidate Nomination Committee in April 2022, she suggested that "a young female candidate be considered for Gangseo District Constituency No. 1." She said she became aware of the existence of the money after receiving a protest call from former council member Kim following that meeting. "I immediately instructed my aide to return the money and also informed the nomination committee’s secretary of what had happened," she explained.
Regarding the nomination process itself, she stated, "I attended the meetings because I believed I had a duty to fulfill my responsibilities as a member of the nomination committee, and I expressed support for former council member Kim, who had received the highest score based on objective criteria." She went on to explain, "At that time, 85 out of 101 candidates for Seoul Metropolitan Council districts were nominated as single candidates without competition."
Kang also rejected allegations that she used the 100 million won to secure a jeonse deposit for housing. "That is completely untrue," she said. She explained, "I covered the jeonse deposit with condolence money received after my father-in-law passed away in March 2022," and added, "I personally met former council member Kim and returned the 100 million won."
Kang further addressed the so-called "split donations" allegations. She said, "After confirming that large donations had flowed into my political sponsorship account in October 2022 and December 2023, I learned that they were made upon recommendation by former council member Kim and had all of them returned," adding, "I returned about 82 million won in 2022 and about 50 million won in 2023."
Kang argued, "If I had demanded 100 million won, I would not have met in such a public place, nor would I have suggested within the nomination committee that we consider a young female candidate," and added, "If I had solicited donations, there would have been no reason for me to painstakingly verify each one and return them." She continued, "I will not claim that I am being treated unfairly. I will shoulder the responsibility for not having been more stringent," and declared, "I will not hide or run away; I will face this humbly."
Earlier, on the 9th, Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office requested arrest warrants for Kang and former council member Kim on charges including violation of the Political Funds Act, violation of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, and breach of trust and bribery as a recipient in Kang’s case and as a giver in Kim’s case. The request came four days after the police applied for arrest warrants on the 5th.
As a sitting member of the National Assembly, Kang is protected by constitutional immunity from arrest, meaning that a motion to arrest must be approved by the National Assembly before a substantive hearing on the arrest warrant can take place. In her personal letter, Kang did not address whether she would waive her immunity from arrest.
425_sama@fnnews.com Reporter Choi Seung-han Reporter