▲ In this file photo, Kang Sun-woo, a former ruling party lawmaker and currently independent, appears at a unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency in the capital on Feb. 3, 2026, for questioning over bribery allegations related to a nomination by the ruling Democratic Party. (Yonhap)

lawmaker-arrest motion

Arrest motion of ex-DP lawmaker under bribery investigation reported to parliament

SEOUL, Feb. 12 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Thursday received a report on a motion seeking the approval to arrest Rep. Kang Sun-woo, who is under investigation on bribery allegations related to a nomination by the ruling Democratic Party (DP).

Kang, now an independent lawmaker who formerly belonged to the DP, is accused of receiving 100 million won (US$68,300) in exchange for supporting the nomination of former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung as a DP candidate ahead of the 2022 local elections. Kang was ousted from the party after the allegations surfaced last month.

Prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Kang on Monday, and the request was forwarded to the National Assembly by the Justice Ministry earlier in the day, according to a senior Assembly official.

By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session and can only be put under arrest with consent from the National Assembly.

If the motion is approved by a majority vote, a court will proceed with a hearing to determine whether to issue a warrant to formally arrest Kang.

Under the law, the National Assembly speaker must bring the motion to a vote within 72 hours after 24 hours have passed, or at the next plenary session if the deadline is missed.

With the Lunar New Year holiday beginning this weekend, the vote is likely to take place at a plenary session convened after the holiday ends next Wednesday.

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