The Ministry of Justice said on the 12th that it submitted a request for consent to arrest independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo to the National Assembly after prosecutors sought an arrest warrant on charges of receiving a 100 million won nomination bribe. For a sitting lawmaker, a court hearing to review the arrest warrant can be held only after the National Assembly completes its consent procedure.
Under the current procedure, when the court sends the request for consent to arrest to the prosecution, it is forwarded through the Ministry of Justice to the National Assembly and put to a vote at a plenary session. Under the National Assembly Act, the speaker of the National Assembly must report it at the first plenary session convened after receiving the request.
After the report is made, a vote must be held between 24 hours and 72 hours later. If the deadline passes, it is placed on the agenda and voted on at the next plenary session convened thereafter.
Prosecutors requested arrest warrants for Kang and former Seoul Metropolitan Council member Kim Kyung on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and bribery in breach of trust. Kang and the former city council member are accused of giving and receiving 100 million won in exchange for a party nomination at a hotel in Yongsan in Jan. 2022.