"100 Million Won Nomination Bribe" Allegations: Kang Sun-woo and Kim Kyung Both Arrested Over Fears of Evidence Destruction

[The Financial News] Independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, a former Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) member, and former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung have both been taken into custody on charges of exchanging 100 million won in illegal political funds in return for a party nomination.
According to the legal community on the 4th, Judge Lee Jong-rok of the Seoul Central District Court, the chief judge in charge of warrants, issued arrest warrants on the 3rd for Kang and Kim on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act. The court explained that there were "concerns about the destruction of evidence."
Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won in nomination bribes from Kim in January 2022, ahead of The 8th National Simultaneous Local Elections. The police requested arrest warrants for both of them on the 5th of last month. The prosecution service then formally sought the warrants on the 9th of the same month.
Before entering the courthouse, Kang spoke to reporters. Asked whether she had used the 100 million won as a deposit for a jeonse lease, she replied, "I am once again sorry for causing public concern over this matter," and added, "I will faithfully explain everything in court." Kang appeared for the warrant hearing at around 2:15 p.m. and left the court at about 6:45 p.m., roughly four and a half hours later. She did not answer questions from the press such as "What did you explain to the court?" or "Do you still maintain that you did not receive money in return for a nomination?" and left the scene. Kim avoided reporters as he moved to the courtroom for his hearing.
Kang maintains her innocence, claiming she returned the money she received from Kim. Ahead of the parliamentary vote on her arrest motion, she appealed, saying, "That 100 million won is not worth staking my political life or my entire life on," and, "When I first met former council member Kim, I absentmindedly forgot about a gift that was handed to me as a matter of formality, and I later returned the 100 million won." Kim is reported to have admitted to the allegations during the police investigation stage.
With both now under arrest, investigations by the police and the prosecution service into the "nomination bribe" allegations are expected to pick up speed. Probes into various illegal political funding schemes targeting the political establishment, including split donations and donations made under borrowed names, are also likely to gain momentum.
Kang has now become the second Member of the 22nd National Assembly of the Republic of Korea to be arrested, following People Power Party lawmaker Kweon Seong-dong, who was detained on charges of receiving 100 million won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church, a distinction that leaves her with a serious political disgrace.

theknight@fnnews.com Reporter Jung Kyung-soo Reporter