Despite Kang Sun-woo’s plea, motion to arrest passes... faces possible detention

[Financial News] The National Assembly on the 24th held a plenary session and approved the motion to arrest independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo.
In the secret ballot, 164 lawmakers voted in favor, 87 against, with 3 abstentions and 9 invalid ballots. Of the 296 sitting members, 263 took part in the vote.
Ahead of the vote on her motion to arrest, Kang delivered a personal statement on the floor and flatly denied the allegations. She is currently under police investigation over suspicions that she received 100 million won in nomination donations from former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung.
Kang argued, "Whenever I was given money, I returned it. I returned it again, and again," adding, "Over five occasions, I returned a total of 322 million won. Yet they claim I demanded 100 million won. One hundred million won has no value that would make me stake my political career or my life on it."
She went on, "In January 2022, ahead of the presidential election, I first met former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung through a local aide. The gift handed over that day as a matter of form was forgotten in the thoughtless habit of daily routines," and continued, "I said I wanted to find a young female candidate and run a great campaign in the 2022 local elections. Soon after, I received a strong protest call from Mr. Kim, and only then did I realize that the ‘gift’ was actually money."
She added, "I was so shocked that I immediately instructed my aide to return it, and I also informed the secretary of the Candidate Nomination Management Committee of what had happened," explaining, "If I had intended to take money in exchange for a nomination, there would have been no reason to go through the trouble of returning it."
Kang also voiced dissatisfaction with the arrest warrant request, which was based on the police investigation and an alleged risk of flight. She said, "In the warrant application, the police even falsified my local aide’s career history and the details of the Democratic Party of Korea primary," and continued, "They claimed that even sitting lawmakers have fled before, and listed two former lawmakers who were investigated after losing their seats as if they were still incumbents. Using these false facts, they argue that I am a flight risk."
With the National Assembly approving the motion to arrest Kang, the court can now schedule a pretrial detention hearing (warrant review) for her. The warrant review is widely expected to take place in early March.

gowell@fnnews.com Kim Hyung-gu Reporter