The National Assembly passed a motion to arrest independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, for whom a warrant was sought on charges of receiving nomination donations.
The National Assembly held a plenary session at 3 p.m. on the 24th and passed the motion to arrest Kang with 164 votes in favor, 87 against, three abstentions, and nine invalid out of 263 members present.
Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won in political funds from former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung in connection with recommending a candidate for the Seoul Metropolitan Council ahead of the 8th local elections in January 2022. Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho, in a request for consent to arrest, said, "Prosecutors, based on related statements and recordings and other evidence, found the charges substantiated and sought an arrest warrant." He also said, "In light of the seriousness of the matter and concerns about flight and destruction of evidence, we requested the National Assembly's consent to arrest."
In a personal statement, Kang denied the allegations, saying, "I returned a total of 322 million won over five occasions, and 100 million won has no value for which I would stake my political life or my life." Kang said, "I thought I had lived by my principles, but my conduct was immature," and added, "I confess and apologize for having engaged in fashion politics for the satisfaction of making a better world." Kang continued, "I will not hide behind parliamentary immunity," and said, "I have no fear before the task of revealing the truth."
The Democratic Party of Korea decided to leave the vote on the motion to arrest lawmaker Kang Sun-woo to lawmakers' discretion without a party line, while the Rebuilding Korea Party resolved, as a recommended party position, to vote in favor of the motion.