Kang Sunwoo and Kim Kyung Both Arrested Over 100 Million Won Nomination Fund Scandal

Court Cites "Concerns Over Destruction of Evidence," Issues Arrest Warrants for Both

Kang Sunwoo Insists "No Value in Risking Political Career," But Is Ultimately Arrested

Independent lawmaker Kang Sunwoo and former Seoul City Council member Kim Kyung were both arrested on charges of exchanging 100 million won in nomination funds ahead of the 2022 local elections. With the police securing custody of the key suspects two months after the release of an audio recording containing their discussion of the nomination fund issue, the investigation is expected to gain momentum.

On the 3rd, Lee Jongrok, the judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a pre-trial detention hearing (warrant review) for Assemblyman Kang and former council member Kim, who are accused of violating the Political Funds Act and other charges. He issued arrest warrants for both, citing concerns about the destruction of evidence. This comes just one week after the National Assembly passed the motion to arrest Assemblyman Kang.

Independent lawmaker Kang Sunwoo and former Seoul city council member Kim Kyung attended the pre-trial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul on the 3rd. Kang is on the left, and Kim is on the right. Photo by Yonhap News.

Kang and Kim are accused of meeting at a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul in January 2022, five months before the local elections, and exchanging 100 million won. Specifically, both face charges of violating the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act. Kang is also charged with accepting bribes, while Kim is charged with offering bribes.

During the police investigation, Kim generally admitted to the charges, even submitting a written confession. However, Kang has denied the allegations, stating, "I did receive a shopping bag, but I did not know it contained money. Once I realized it did, I returned everything." Even ahead of the National Assembly vote on his arrest motion, in a personal statement, he asserted, "I returned a total of 322 million won over five occasions," and repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by claiming, "There is no value in risking my political career or life for 100 million won."

Previously, when applying for the arrest warrant, the police argued that there was a high risk of evidence destruction by pointing out that Kang repeatedly refused to provide his iPhone password, that an empty Apple MacBook box was found during a search of his residence but the actual computer was not located, among other factors. In Kim's case, the police identified signs of evidence destruction at the beginning of the investigation. When the police launched their probe, Kim left for the United States and returned after 11 days; during this period, he was found to have repeatedly withdrawn from and rejoined messaging services such as KakaoTalk and Telegram.

With the police having secured custody of the two key suspects, the investigation is expected to accelerate. The police are also looking into additional offenses uncovered during the investigation, including suspicions of split and borrowed-name donations triggered by the so-called "golden PC," as well as allegations of lobbying for nominations in the local elections.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.