Arrest warrant application for NACF President Kang Ho-dong rejected ... Prosecution Office: “Insufficient substantiation of charges”

[Financial News] The police’s request for an arrest warrant for Kang Ho-dong, president of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation (NACF), over allegations that he accepted cash and other valuables worth an amount in the 100-million-won range was rejected at the Prosecution Office stage. The Prosecution Office determined that, in light of the evidence gathered to date and the progress of the investigation, the charges had not been sufficiently substantiated and detention was not sufficiently necessary.
The Non-referral Review Division 1 of the Seoul Central District Prosecution Office said on the 6th that it had rejected the arrest warrant applications sought by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency for NACF President Kang and A, the head of a partner company. The decision came three days after the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Metropolitan Investigation Unit sought arrest warrants for the two on the 3rd.
The Prosecution Office said the main allegations did not appear to be sufficiently substantiated to warrant seeking arrest warrants. Given that the investigation has continued for a year and a half or more and the suspects’ record of appearing for questioning, it also said it was difficult to recognize, at this stage, the need for detention or its appropriateness.
The Prosecution Office called in NACF President Kang Ho-dong for an interview the previous afternoon and made the decision after reviewing evidence gathered by police, among other materials.
Kang is suspected of receiving more than 100 million won in cash and other valuables from the head of a contractor that did business with NACF affiliates around January 2024, ahead of the NACF presidential election. Police have been investigating whether, at a time when Kang was widely seen as the likely winner, the company head handed over valuables twice and asked for business favors.
Alleged misuse of internal funds is also under investigation. The allegation is that some NACF departments used organizational funds to buy expensive gifts and deliver them to the offices of the president and vice president, among others, from 2024 through last year.
Police are also investigating suspected violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act in connection with several hundred million won in condolence money at the time of Kang’s mother-in-law’s funeral last May.
[email protected] Lee Hyun-jung Reporter