Police Launch First Questioning of Detained Lawmaker Kang in Bribery Probe

Police investigating "nomination bribery" allegations surrounding Independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung are accelerating their probe. After struggling with conflicting statements from key suspects, police have secured custody of both and begun intensive questioning. However, some observers note that as circumstances turn favorable for investigators, pressure for results will also mount.

According to police on January 7, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crimes Investigation Unit began questioning Kang at 10 a.m. This marks the first police interrogation since the court issued an arrest warrant for Kang on January 3—just three days prior. Police had previously conducted their first post-detention questioning of former councilor Kim on January 5.

Police have struggled to establish the truth amid conflicting accounts from key suspects including Kang, former councilor Kim, and Kang's former chief of staff, identified only as Nam. After returning from the United States and submitting a self-surrender statement to police, Kim has consistently claimed that Nam first proposed the nomination bribery to Kang. Kim alleged that ahead of the 2022 local elections, Nam approached him and first suggested the amount of "one sheet" (100 million won). Kim reportedly testified that he later personally delivered the money at a meeting where both Nam and Kang were present. However, Kim has maintained that he did not hand over the cash in exchange for nomination.

Nam, in contrast, has denied knowledge of these events. In his police statement, Nam acknowledged attending a meeting with Kang and Kim but suggested the money exchange occurred while he briefly stepped away. He stated that he followed Kang's instruction to "move the items to the car" but did not know the items were cash. Kang previously explained that she "did not know about the money before being briefed" and that "after learning of it, she instructed that the money be returned to Kim."

When a planned confrontation between suspects fell through, police applied for an arrest warrant for former councilor Kim on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, the Anti-Graft Law, and bribery offenses. Police also moved to detain Kang, who as a sitting lawmaker had enjoyed immunity from arrest. In their warrant application, police cited "concerns about evidence destruction" and "conflicting statements among key suspects" as grounds for detention.

Prosecutors subsequently requested an arrest warrant for Kang, and the court asked the National Assembly to vote on a motion to consent to her arrest. On December 24, the Assembly held a plenary session to vote on the motion. Of 263 votes cast, 164 were in favor, 87 against, 3 abstentions, and 9 invalid, resulting in passage. Such motions pass when a majority of attending members approve, provided that a majority of all members are present.

Before the vote, Kang—who had been expelled from the Democratic Party of Korea on December 1—delivered a personal statement claiming Kim had persistently pressed money upon her. "I returned a total of 322 million won over five occasions. One hundred million won is not worth my political life or career," she argued. Nevertheless, the motion passed, and the court issued her arrest warrant.

Police are now accelerating the investigation by promptly questioning both former councilor Kim and Kang. A face-to-face confrontation between the two suspects remains possible. However, since cases must be transferred within 10 days of a suspect's detention, time is limited, and some observers doubt that the accumulated issues can be resolved so quickly.

Although time is short, the detention of both Kang and former councilor Kim has shifted circumstances in police favor, which some say will increase pressure on investigators. Previously, police attributed their inability to resolve the conflicting statements to difficulties in securing custody of the suspects. Now that both are detained, that excuse no longer applies. Moreover, while the arrest consent motion passed with support from the Rebuilding Korea Party's official "yes" stance and some Democratic Party lawmakers, the 87 opposing votes suggest lingering political sensitivities.

A senior police official said, "Even though the investigation has progressed, the volume of conflicting claims between Kang and former councilor Kim is so extensive that resolving everything within the 10-day detention period will be highly challenging." The official added, "If we fail to properly establish the charges against former lawmaker Kang, police will have to bear the political fallout, so the pressure is considerable."