"Investigation Needed into Kim Byungki and Kang Sunwoo Nomination Bribery Allegations"... People Power Party Proposes Special Prosecutor Bill

Police Complaint Filed Against President Lee and Others
Over Partial Appeal in "West Sea Shooting" Case

The People Power Party has proposed a special prosecutor bill, calling for an investigation into Kim Byungki, former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, who is facing allegations of monetary transactions related to nominations for the 2022 local elections.

On January 7, Kwak Gyutaek, the People Power Party's chief spokesperson for the floor, along with party lawmakers Kang Sunyoung and Park Chungkwon, submitted the "Special Prosecutor Bill to Investigate the Alleged Bribery in Nominations Involving Lawmakers Kim Byungki and Kang Sunwoo" to the National Assembly's bill office.

Yonhap News Agency

The main targets of the investigation are allegations that Assemblywoman Kang received approximately 100 million won in exchange for a nomination in the local elections, and that Assemblyman Kim, who was then the secretary of the Democratic Party's Seoul Metropolitan Nomination Management Committee, was unjustly involved in the process. Regarding Assemblyman Kim, the investigation will also look into suspicions that he received about 30 million won from former and current district council members around the time of the 2020 general elections.

President Lee Jaemyung, who was the Democratic Party leader at the time, has also been included as a subject of the special prosecutor investigation. Kwak, the chief spokesperson for the floor, stated, "A petition regarding the bribery allegations against Assemblyman Kim was received by Kim Hyunji, then aide to party leader Lee Jaemyung, at the end of 2023, but there are suspicions that it was systematically covered up."

In addition, the People Power Party has filed a police complaint against President Lee, Prime Minister Kim Minseok, Minister of Justice Chung Sungho, and Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office Chief Park Cheolwoo on charges of abuse of power, in connection with the prosecution's partial appeal decision regarding the first trial verdict in the "West Sea Civil Servant Shooting Incident."

Kwak explained the background, saying, "There are allegations that the President, Prime Minister, and Minister of Justice exerted external pressure to abandon the appeal, as they made remarks that seemed to urge the prosecution to forgo the appeal ahead of the prosecution's decision."

At a cabinet meeting held on December 30, President Lee criticized the prosecution regarding the not-guilty verdict in the first trial of the West Sea Civil Servant Shooting Incident, saying, "How can it make sense to fabricate a case that didn't exist and hide evidence that did, just to send someone to prison?" He added, "Someone must be held accountable." Prime Minister Kim also remarked, "This is a grave wrongdoing by the National Intelligence Service and the prosecution, to the extent that it could be seen as a fabricated indictment," and added, "Isn't it only natural for the prosecution to give up the appeal?" Subsequently, the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office filed an appeal only on certain charges against former National Security Office Chief Suh Hoon and former Coast Guard Commissioner General Kim Honghee, both of whom had been acquitted in the first trial.