Ruling party lawmaker faces bribery allegations

Police have launched a full-scale investigation into allegations that Rep. Kang Sun-woo of the Democratic Party of Korea accepted 100 million won in connection with a party nomination. The People Power Party has called for a special counsel probe into claims that a large sum of money changed hands during the nomination process, while the Democratic Party of Korea has described the allegations as “deeply shocking” and is watching the fallout with visible unease.

On Dec. 31, police said the case, in which Kang is accused of bribery and violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, had been assigned to the Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The assignment came just one day after Kim Tae-woo, a former Gangseo district governoraffiliated with the People Power Party, and others filed a criminal complaint against Kang on Dec. 30. A police official said investigators plan to begin by establishing the basic facts of the case.

Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won from Kim Kyung, then a candidate for the Seoul Metropolitan Council, while serving on the Democratic Party of Korea’s Seoul chapter nomination committee ahead of the June 2022 local elections. According to an audio recording released by the media, Kang spoke by phone on April 21 that year with Kim Byung-gi, former floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea who was serving as secretary of the party’s nomination committee. During the call, Kang referred to the 100 million won being held by her aide and asked how the matter should be handled. Kim replied that the money should either be returned or entrusted to the party’s secretary general, adding that the issue carried enormous consequences, including legal liability and serious problems for the party.

Despite the exchange, the Democratic Party of Korea on April 22 granted Kim a sole nomination as its candidate for a Seoul Metropolitan Council seat in Kang’s Gangseo district constituency. Kim later won the election. Kang has denied any wrongdoing, saying she never promised a nomination in exchange for money and that she immediately instructed that the funds be returned.

The People Power Party continued its offensive, renewing calls for a special counsel investigation. Jang Dong-hyuk, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at a year-end gathering of party staff held on Dec. 31 at the party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul, that a sole nomination was announced the day after the conversation between Kang and Kim Byung-gi. Jang said there could be no clearer evidence, adding that the sole nomination certificate amounted to a cash receipt for 100 million won. He stressed that a strong and swift investigation was needed, applying the same standards used when a special counsel previously conducted an exhaustive probe into his party’s own nomination process. He also said Kim Byung-gi’s role should be clarified through the investigation.

The Democratic Party of Korea has struggled to conceal its dismay. Park Soo-hyun, the party’s chief spokesperson, said the allegations were unimaginable and so shocking that lawmakers were nearly in a state of disbelief. He added that he had assumed such controversies were associated with the People Power Party and said he still found it difficult to believe they had surfaced within his own party.


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