Former Prosecutor Kim Sangmin Arrested on Suspicion of Soliciting Nomination from Kim Keonhee: "Concerns Over Destruction of Evidence"

Warrant Names Kim Keonhee as Recipient
Special Prosecutor’s Investigation Expected to Gain Momentum

Kim Sangmin, a former deputy chief prosecutor accused of handing over an expensive painting to First Lady Kim Keonhee’s side and requesting a nomination in the general election, was arrested on September 18. With Kim now in custody, the special prosecutor’s team is expected to accelerate its investigation into allegations of interference in the election nomination process.

Yonhap News Agency

Park Jungho, a judge in charge of warrants at the Seoul Central District Court, held a substantive warrant review and issued an arrest warrant for Kim on charges of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act, stating, “There is a concern that evidence could be destroyed.”

Kim is accused of delivering artist Lee Ufan’s painting, “From Point No. 800298,” to Kim Keonhee’s brother, Kim Jinwoo, while requesting a nomination in the general election in April last year. The arrest warrant for Kim specifies the First Lady as the recipient of the painting. The special prosecutor’s team, led by Min Jungki, assessed the value of the painting at over 100 million won, based on the price Kim paid for it, regardless of its authenticity.

Kim has denied the allegations, claiming, “I only brokered the purchase of the painting at Mr. Kim’s request.” However, the court sided with the special prosecutor’s team, emphasizing concerns about the potential destruction of evidence.

Kim’s legal team argued that since appraisal agencies have conflicting opinions about the authenticity of the painting, there is a strong possibility it is a forgery. They claimed that if the charges are applied, the value of the item would be significantly lower, reducing the necessity for detention. However, this argument was not accepted.

With Kim’s arrest, the special prosecutor’s investigation into bribery allegations-based on the premise that former President Yoon colluded in the “nomination interference” case-is also expected to gain momentum.

Kim also faces allegations of receiving political funds. He is suspected of having the rental fee for a campaign vehicle paid on his behalf by an associate of Park, while preparing to run in last year’s general election. Park, known as “Jonber Kim,” is currently on trial for allegedly issuing and listing the scam coin “Podo” between February 2021 and April 2022 and embezzling 80.9 billion won.

In September 2023, while still serving as a deputy chief prosecutor, Kim sent text messages to residents in Changwon, Gyeongsangnam-do, stating he was “a Changwon native to the bone,” and subsequently pushed ahead with his candidacy in the general election, which sparked controversy. After failing to secure the nomination, Kim was appointed as a legal advisor to the National Intelligence Service in August last year. The special prosecutor’s team suspects that the First Lady may have exerted influence over his appointment as advisor.

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