Prosecutors have requested arrest warrants for independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung over allegations of a 100 million won "nomination bribe" during the 2022 local elections.
The Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced on the 9th that it filed arrest warrants against Kang and former councilor Kim on charges of violating the Political Funds Act, breach of trust, and the Anti-Graft Law. The request came four days after the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crimes Investigation Unit applied for the warrants on the 5th.
"After thorough review of the collected evidence, we requested arrest warrants considering the severity of the alleged crimes and concerns over flight risk and evidence destruction," prosecutors said.
The allegations center on claims that former councilor Kim delivered 100 million won to lawmaker Kang's side ahead of the 2022 local elections. At the time, Kang served as a nomination committee member of the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul chapter, and Kim allegedly sought to secure a nomination.
Kang's side has denied the charges, stating, "We only later discovered what the money in the shopping bag was and immediately returned it." In contrast, former councilor Kim recently announced through legal counsel that she would resign from her council seat and cooperate with the investigation, saying, "I failed to fulfill my moral duties as a public servant."
However, as a sitting National Assembly member, Kang holds parliamentary immunity from arrest. Before she can undergo a warrant review hearing, the National Assembly must first pass an arrest consent motion. Once prosecutors receive the warrant from the court and submit a consent request through the Ministry of Justice, the request goes to the president for approval before being sent to the National Assembly. The Speaker must report the request at the first plenary session after receiving it, and a vote must be held between 24 and 72 hours after the report. The motion passes with a majority of attending members voting in favor, provided a majority of all registered members are present.