Independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, accused of receiving 1 billion won in nomination funds, appeared for a pretrial detention hearing on the 3rd.
Kang arrived at the Seoul Central District Court at about 2:15 p.m. Kang said, "I am sorry for causing concern to the public with this matter," and added, "I will explain faithfully in court."
Reporters asked Kang, "Did you receive money in exchange for the nomination?" and "How do you plan to prove the need for detention?" but Kang did not answer.
Lee Jong-rok, the warrant Judge in charge at the Seoul Central District Court, is scheduled to hold the detention warrant review for Kang from 2:30 p.m. today.
Kang is accused of meeting former Seoul city council member Kim Kyung at a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, in Jan. 2022 ahead of the 8th local elections and receiving a shopping bag containing 1 billion won. Afterward, the former city council member was the sole nomination for city council in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, Kang's constituency, and was elected.
Police applied charges of violating the Political Funds Act, violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, breach of trust bribery (for Kang), and giving a bribe (for the former city council member Kim), and sought arrest warrants on the 5th of last month. Prosecutors requested the warrants from the court four days later.
The former city council member Kim also underwent a detention warrant review in the same courtroom at 10 a.m. today. When Kim emerged after finishing the review at about 12:42 p.m., reporters asked, "Did Representative Kang Sun-woo's side first demand money?" among other questions, but Kim did not answer and boarded the waiting transport vehicle.
The results of the warrant reviews for the two could come as early as late this afternoon. Until the results are out, the two will wait in the holding cell at Mapo Police Station.