Kang Sunwoo: "100 Million Won Was Not for Jeonse... Not Worth My Political Life"

Independent lawmaker Kang Sunwoo, who is suspected of accepting 100 million won in nomination bribes, said in a personal letter to Democratic Party of Korea lawmakers on the 10th that "100 million won is not worth staking my political life or my entire life," adding, "I tried several times through my aide to return the 100 million won to Kim Kyung, but it was not easy." While giving a detailed explanation of the nomination bribery allegations, Assemblywoman Kang also said, "I will not hide or run away, and I will fully take responsibility."

Assemblywoman Kang told Democratic Party lawmakers that afternoon, "I bow my head and apologize for causing you concern over this matter. Everything is due to my lack of virtue and my fault," she said.

Yonhap News Agency

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Assemblywoman Kang said, "I am worried it may sound like an excuse, but at the very least, I felt it was my minimum duty to explain the full story of what happened to my senior and fellow lawmakers, so I am sending this letter," adding, "There are aspects that differ from what has been reported to the world, and I wish to explain and correct them."

She said, "I did not enter politics with some grand ambition. I simply wanted, with a mother's heart, to create a world where you no longer have to think, 'I must live at least one day longer than my child with developmental disabilities,'" adding, "With that in mind, I blindly submitted a party membership application and jumped into politics."

Regarding former city council member Kim Kyung, Assemblywoman Kang said, "In March 2022, when preparations for the presidential election were in full swing, my aide told me they would introduce a good person, and that is how I came to meet former city council member Kim," adding, "It was no different from the countless meetings that take place during a presidential election." She continued, "The shopping bag I received that day as a customary gift was stored exactly as received in the storage room of my home where I live alone," adding, "Because I have a careless habit of forgetting things once I put them down, I also forgot about that gift."

She went on to say that after the Seoul Metropolitan Party nomination committee meeting on April 20, 2022, "I received an angry phone call from candidate Kim Kyung," adding, "Only then did I realize that the gift I had received earlier was 100 million won. Everything went dark before my eyes."

Assemblywoman Kang said, "I instructed my aide to return the money and immediately informed the nomination committee secretary as well. I think I was so frightened that I even felt like clinging to the nomination committee secretary," as she explained the circumstances contained in the recorded conversation with former floor leader Kim Byungki.

As for the background to nominating former city council member Kim, she said, "Although I was in great distress at the time, I felt I had to fulfill my duties as a nomination committee member, so I attended the nomination committee meeting on April 22," adding, "From an objective standpoint, among the existing candidates, candidate Kim Kyung, who scored far higher, was selected as the sole nominee."

Assemblywoman Kang also denied the allegation that she used the 100 million won for a jeonse deposit, saying, "It is completely untrue."

She said that former city council member Kim "continued trying to deliver money to me in the form of donations or gifts even after that, but I consistently either returned it immediately or refused it."

She also said, "Around October 2022, large sums of 5 million won each flowed into my donation account, and when my staff checked, they were told the donations were made upon the recommendation of Kim Kyung. We returned the entire total of 82 million won," adding, "The same thing happened in December 2023, and we returned the entire 50 million won."

Assemblywoman Kang said, "If I had demanded 100 million won, I would not have met in a conspicuous hotel coffee shop," adding, "There would have been no reason for me to report the fact of receiving the money to the nomination committee secretary, and no reason to go through such a difficult process in order to return the 100 million won."

She added, "I will not say that I am being treated unfairly. I should have been more cautious and more strict," adding, "The fact that my sense of caution was dull, that my boundaries were loose, is entirely my burden and responsibility to bear."

She then said, "Once again, I sincerely apologize for causing you concern over this matter."

The Public Crimes Investigation Department 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office requested pretrial detention warrants the previous day for Assemblywoman Kang and former city council member Kim on charges including violations of the Political Funds Act and bribery and breach of trust.

However, as a sitting lawmaker, Assemblywoman Kang is protected by parliamentary immunity from arrest, and therefore cannot be arrested or detained during a National Assembly session without the consent of the Assembly. Accordingly, the motion to arrest must be approved at a plenary session of the National Assembly for a substantive review of the detention warrant to proceed. The motion to arrest is passed if a majority of all lawmakers are present and a majority of those present vote in favor.

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