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Police request arrest warrants for independent lawmaker, ex-Seoul councilor for alleged bribery

Published: 09 Feb. 2026, 20:12

Independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, left, and former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung are seen in this composite photo [NEWS1]

Prosecutors requested arrest warrants on Monday for independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung over allegations involving a 100 million won ($68,400) nomination donation, four days after the police did the same.

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office requested pretrial arrest warrants for Rep. Kang and former councilor Kim on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act; giving and receiving bribes involving a breach of trust; and violations of the antigraft law, the prosecution said on Monday.

Kang is accused of receiving political funds totaling 100 million from Kim in January 2022 in exchange for an illicit request to secure a party nomination for the 8th local elections, specifically for a Seoul city council seat, according to prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Kim is accused of making the illicit request and delivering the 100 million won. At the time, Kim was the sole nominee for the Democratic Party's Seoul city council seat in Gangseo District.

“After carefully reviewing the collected evidence, we requested arrest warrants, considering that the alleged crimes are serious and that there are concerns about [Kang and Kim fleeing] and the destruction of evidence,” prosecutors said.

With Monday's warrant request, Kang is expected to undergo additional procedures to determine whether an arrest is warranted.

A sitting lawmaker cannot be arrested or detained during a parliamentary session without the consent of the National Assembly. As a result, a prearrest warrant hearing for Kang can only proceed if the plenary session approves an arrest consent motion with a majority of all lawmakers in attendance and a majority vote of those present.

After completing a second round of questioning last Tuesday, Kang did not provide a clear answer when asked by reporters if she would maintain the privilege from arrest.

In Kim’s case, a court is expected to schedule a prearrest warrant hearing later this week.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM EUN-BIN [[email protected]]