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Police refer lawmaker, ex-councilor at center of bribery scandal to prosecution

Published: 11 Mar. 2026, 12:36

Kim Kyung, a former Seoul city councilor, left, and Rep. Kang Sun-woo, an independent lawmaker formerly of the Democratic Party, are seen at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, southern Seoul, on March 3 to attend a pretrial detention hearing. [YONHAP]

Police referred an independent lawmaker and a former Seoul city councilor to the prosecution on Wednesday, following their arrest last week over bribery allegations linked to the 2022 local elections.

Rep. Kang Sun-woo, formerly of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and Kim Kyung were sent to the prosecution on charges of violating laws related to political funds, antigrafting and more, according to the public crimes division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Kim is accused of giving Kang a shopping bag containing 100 million won ($68,000) in cash in January 2022, ahead of that year's June elections, allegedly in exchange for a nomination for a councilor seat in the capital.

The lawmaker served on the DP's Seoul candidate nomination committee at the time. Kim ultimately received the nomination and won the election.

Kang has claimed that she did not know the shopping bag contained cash and that she returned the money after discovering it.

However, police believe Kang met Kim with advance knowledge of the cash and spent it on a rental deposit.

A court issued a warrant for their arrest last week, citing concerns of evidence destruction, after the National Assembly last month approved a motion for the lawmaker's detention.

Kang left the DP after the allegations surfaced in December of last year.

Yonhap