Police Summon Dongjak District Council Vice Chairman, Key Aide to Kim Byungki, Over Alleged Nomination Bribery Proxy Request

Lee Jihee, Vice Chairman of the Dongjak District Council, who is involved in the nomination bribery allegations related to Assemblyman Kim Byungki, is appearing on the 21st at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit in Mapo-gu, Seoul, to be investigated for violations of the Political Funds Act. Photo by Yonhap News

Lee Jihee, Vice Chairman of the Dongjak District Council and a key figure in the nomination bribery allegations involving Assemblyman Kim Byungki, was questioned by the police for more than four hours before returning home.

The Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency summoned Vice Chairman Lee to the Mapo office on the afternoon of the 21st on suspicion of violating the Political Funds Act. Lee left after completing the investigation around 6:30 p.m., but did not respond to questions such as whether she admitted to delivering nomination bribes.

It is reported that the police questioned Lee about whether she was involved in the process of delivering nomination bribes mentioned in the "petition letter" and whose instructions she may have followed.

According to the petition letter, former Dongjak District Council member Jeon claimed that in March 2020, he received a call from Vice Chairman Lee asking for "the money you mentioned to Assemblyman Kim's wife last time," and delivered 10 million won to her in the parking lot of Dongjak District Office. He further wrote that Lee later returned the 10 million won to him in Assemblyman Kim's office after a regular meeting of city and district council members attended by Kim.

Another former Dongjak District Council member, Kim, also stated that during the 2018 local elections, Vice Chairman Lee asked him for cash, and that in January 2020, ahead of the general election, he visited Assemblyman Kim's home and handed 20 million won to Kim's wife. After the election, Kim's wife reportedly returned the money in a shopping bag along with a bag of Saewookkang snacks, telling him to "give it to your daughter."

The former council members testified to the police that "everything in the petition letter is true." After analyzing these statements, the police are expected to begin investigating Assemblyman Kim and his wife. Assemblyman Kim has completely denied the allegations, calling them malicious slander.

Vice Chairman Lee is also suspected of being involved in the transfer process for Assemblyman Kim's second son to another university.