Prosecutors Detain Myung Tae-gyun and Kim Young-sun... Court Cites "Risk of Evidence Tampering"

Election broker Myeong Tae-gyun and former People Power Party lawmaker Kim Young-sun, who are accused of exchanging illegal political funds amounting to about 90 million won in return for nomination, were arrested on the 15th.

Jeong Ji-eun, the chief judge in charge of warrants at Changwon District Court, who conducted the warrant hearings for the two the previous afternoon, issued arrest warrants for Myeong and former lawmaker Kim in the early morning of the day, citing "concerns over evidence destruction."

From the left, election broker Myeong Taekyun and former People Power Party member of the National Assembly Kim Youngsun. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The warrants for A, a preliminary candidate for the Goryeong County governor in the June 1, 2022 local elections, and B, a preliminary candidate for Daegu City Council, who were also subject to warrants, were dismissed. Judge Jeong stated the reason for dismissal as, "Considering that there is dispute over the establishment of the crime and the need to guarantee the suspects' right to defense, it is difficult to recognize the necessity and substantiality of detaining the suspects at this stage."

On the 11th, the 4th Criminal Division of Changwon District Prosecutors' Office (Chief Prosecutor Kim Ho-gyeong) requested arrest warrants for four individuals, including Myeong, former lawmaker Kim, A, a preliminary candidate for Goryeong County governor in the 8th simultaneous local elections, and B, a preliminary candidate for Daegu City Council in the 8th simultaneous local elections, on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Myeong is accused of receiving political funds related to recommending a specific person as a candidate in public elections, while former lawmaker Kim and the other three are accused of donating political funds.

In December last year, the Gyeongnam Provincial Election Commission reported Kang Hye-gyeong, who was former lawmaker Kim's accounting manager, to Changwon District Prosecutors' Office for violating the Political Funds Act and requested an investigation into five people, including Myeong and former lawmaker Kim, related to political fund expenditures.

After being elected in the Changwon Changwonchang district by-election on June 1, 2022, former lawmaker Kim sent a total of 90,316,000 won to Myeong through Kang Hye-gyeong 25 times between August 23, 2022, and December 28, 2023. Former lawmaker Kim and Myeong claim that the money was repayment of loans taken during the election or a personal debt relationship between Kang and Myeong, but the prosecution suspects that Myeong gave the money as a reward for securing Kim's nomination. Kang claims that Myeong, who helped President Yoon Seok-yeol through public opinion polls during the presidential election, received the reward for helping Kim's nomination through Kim Geon-hee.

Myeong is also accused of receiving 240 million won from A and B, who were preliminary candidates for People Power Party basic local government heads and metropolitan councilors, respectively, ahead of the June 1, 2022 local elections, using nomination as bait. Myeong is also accused of instructing A and B to pay part of the cost of 81 public opinion polls conducted by the Future Korea Research Institute during the last presidential election.

A and B are accused of violating the Political Funds Act by handing over about 240 million won to the Future Korea Research Institute several times ahead of the June 1 local elections.

Although the two handed over about 240 million won to the Future Korea Research Institute, which is known to be effectively operated by Myeong, they did not actually receive nominations and later reportedly recovered some of the money.

The day before, former lawmaker Kim strongly opposed the prosecution's request for an arrest warrant as he appeared at the court for the warrant hearing.

Former lawmaker Kim said, "This arrest warrant should first determine the nature of the funds. I reported Kang Hye-gyeong. For example, if someone contrasting Kang committed murder and the murder weapon was mine, does that mean I gave the knife or gave it to be used for a crime? That needs to be clarified, but without that clarification, it is difficult to confirm or prove the elements of the offense."

He continued, "Also, Kang Hye-gyeong said at Spix that she borrowed money during the presidential election and repaid it. But Kim Tae-yeol received money about ten times secretly. Then that act must be decided to determine how I was involved. Right now, the case is under investigation and not confirmed. Issuing an arrest warrant saying that someone who got off the same bus as the murderer is the murderer seems like a political and theoretical arrest warrant because the media is shaking the prosecution too much," he said.

Meanwhile, Myeong entered the courthouse without responding to the flood of questions from reporters.

With the prosecution securing custody of Myeong and former lawmaker Kim, the key figures in this suspicion, the investigation into allegations of nomination interference involving President Yoon Seok-yeol and Kim Geon-hee, which were not included in the criminal facts in the arrest warrant request, is expected to accelerate.