Former District Council Member Appears Before Police Over "Kim Byungki Nomination Donation Petition"

The police are questioning a former district council member on January 9, who wrote a petition admitting to handing over a "nomination donation" to Kim Byungki, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party of Korea.

Yonhap News Agency

The Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency began questioning Kim, a former Dongjak District council member, as a suspect on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act from 10 a.m. on the same day.

Kim did not respond to questions from reporters such as "Do you acknowledge the contents of the petition?" and "What will you clarify during the investigation?"

In the petition, Kim claimed to have delivered 20 million won in 50,000-won bills in cash to Kim Byungki's spouse at the lawmaker's residence in Dongjak District in January 2020, ahead of the general election.

Kim also added that during the 2018 local election campaign, Kim Byungki's spouse requested political funds through another district council candidate, but the funds could not be delivered due to circumstances at the time.

The police had also summoned and questioned another former district council member, Jeon, the previous day, who wrote in a petition that he had handed over 10 million won to Kim Byungki's spouse around the same period. It has been reported that Jeon testified that all the contents of the petition are true.