Park Changwook Gyeongbuk Councilor's Arrest Warrant Dismissed Over 'Geonjin Bopsa Request'... Kwon Seongdong Faces Arrest Decision Today

Court: "Difficult to Recognize Necessity or Appropriateness of Detention"
Broker's Warrant Issued... "Concern Over Destruction of Evidence"
'Unification Church Allegations' Kwon Seongdong Detention Decision Expected as Early as Today

The arrest warrant for Park Changwook, a Gyeongbuk Provincial Council member accused of offering money and valuables to Jeonseongbae, also known as Geonjin Bopsa, in exchange for a nomination in the local elections, has been dismissed.

Yonhap News Agency

According to the legal community on September 16, Jeong Jaeuk, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a substantive warrant review for Assemblyman Park the previous day and dismissed the arrest warrant requested by Special Prosecutor Min Jungki’s team on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Judge Jeong explained the dismissal by stating, "There is room for debate, both factually and legally, as to whether the recipient of the money and valuables in this case qualifies as 'another person engaged in political activities' under the Political Funds Act. Considering the extensive evidence obtained through broad search and seizure operations and multiple witness investigations, the progress of the investigation, Park's family and social ties, and his attendance during the investigation and questioning, it is difficult at this stage to recognize the necessity or appropriateness of detention."

Assemblyman Park is accused of handing over money and valuables to Jeon in June 2022, ahead of the local elections, along with a request to help him secure a nomination from the People Power Party.

With the special prosecutor's team failing to secure Park's custody, it is now inevitable that the investigation into the specific circumstances under which Park delivered cash and a premium Korean beef gift set to Jeon, whether additional valuables were delivered, and the possible involvement of Mrs. Kim as a co-conspirator, will lose momentum.

An arrest warrant was issued for businessman Kim, who is suspected of acting as a broker between Park and Jeon. Judge Jeong held a substantive warrant review for Kim, who is accused of violating the Attorney-at-Law Act and other charges, and cited "concerns about destruction of evidence" as the reason for issuing the warrant.

Kim is known to have been present when Park and Jeon exchanged cash. The special prosecutor's team also suspects that Kim was involved in lobbying for the nomination of Park Hyunkook as the head of Bonghwa County.

'Political Funds Act Violation' Kwon Seongdong Warrant Review in the Afternoon

Meanwhile, the decision on whether to detain Kwon Seongdong, a People Power Party lawmaker identified as the starting point of the alleged collusion between the Yoon Suk Yeol administration and the Unification Church, is expected as early as late this afternoon.

Kwon Seongdong, a member of the People Power Party accused of accepting illegal political funds, is leaving the plenary hall after voting on the motion for his arrest at the National Assembly plenary session on September 11, 2025. Photo by Kim Hyunmin

Nam Sejin, the presiding judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, will hold a substantive warrant review at 2 p.m. today for Assemblyman Kwon, who has been requested to be arrested on charges of violating the Political Funds Act.

Previously, on August 28, the special prosecutor's team requested an arrest warrant for Assemblyman Kwon on charges of violating the Political Funds Act. During the investigation into suspicions involving First Lady Kim Keonhee, the Unification Church, and Geonjin Bopsa, the special prosecutor's team discovered suspicious connections between Assemblyman Kwon and the Unification Church and launched an investigation.

Assemblyman Kwon is accused of accepting 100 million won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church after being asked to support its events. The special prosecutor's team is also investigating allegations that the Unification Church enlisted a large number of followers as party members ahead of the March 2023 party convention to help Kwon become party leader, as well as claims that he received a shopping bag filled with cash from Unification Church leader Han Hakja.

The special prosecutor's team requested an arrest warrant for Kwon on August 28, and the arrest consent request submitted by the court was reported to the National Assembly after approval by the Ministry of Justice and the President. On September 11, the National Assembly passed the motion for his arrest at the plenary session.

Assemblyman Kwon has consistently denied the charges, admitting that he met Unification Church leader Han Hakja during the 2022 presidential election period but insisting that he did not receive any money. On his Facebook page the previous day, he stated, "Some media outlets, the special prosecutor, and the Democratic Party are making a fuss by exaggerating my visit to the Unification Church during the presidential campaign," adding, "While it is true that I visited and greeted them, I never received any money or valuables."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.