Photo : YONHAP News
Police referred Democratic Party(DP)-turned-independent Rep. Kang Sun-woo and former Seoul council member Kim Kyung to prosecution. Kang stands accused of accepting money from Kim in return for candidacy in a local election.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Wednesday that Kang and Kim face charges under the Political Funds Act and the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, as well as breach of trust.
Last week, a Seoul court remanded both Kang and Kim in custody, citing concerns potential to destroy evidence.
Kang’s former aide, surnamed Nam, whom prosecutors say introduced Kang to Kim, was also referred for trial.
Prosecutors say Kang accepted 100 million won, or around 68-thousand U.S. dollars, from Kim at a hotel in Seoul’s Yongsan District in January 2022, five months ahead of the local elections.
Kim eventually won the party nomination.
The accusations emerged late last year with the release of an audio file from April 2022 in which the two-term lawmaker appeared to discuss the transaction with DP-turned-independent Rep. Kim Byung-kee, who at the time oversaw the DP’s nominations.