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| ▲ Rep. Kang Sun-woo arrives at the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul to attend her arrest warrant hearing on March 3, 2026. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung leaves the Seoul Central District Court in southern Seoul after attending her arrest warrant hearing on March 3, 2026. (Yonhap) |
(2nd LD) lawmaker-bribery scandal
(2nd LD) Court holds arrest warrant hearings for lawmaker, ex-councilor over alleged bribery
(ATTN: UPDATES with both hearings throughout; CHANGES headline, lead para, photos; ADDS byline)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, March 3 (Yonhap) -- A court on Tuesday held hearings to decide whether to issue arrest warrants for an independent lawmaker and a former Seoul city councilor over bribery allegations linked to the 2022 local elections.
The Seoul Central District Court convened the separate hearings for Rep. Kang Sun-woo, formerly of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), and former councilor Kim Kyung after prosecutors requested warrants for their arrests early last month.
Kang is accused of receiving 100 million won (US$68,200) in cash from Kim ahead of the 2022 elections allegedly in exchange for her support for Kim's nomination as a DP candidate for the Seoul city council at the time.
"I apologize for causing concern to the people," Kang told reporters before attending her hearing. "I will sincerely make an explanation in the courtroom."
The court is expected to make a decision on their arrests as early as later in the day.
Kang has claimed that she did not know the shopping bag Kim gave her at the time contained cash, adding that she returned the money after discovering it three months later.
Police believe Kang had met Kim with knowledge of the cash in advance and spent the money on a rental deposit. Kim ultimately received the DP candidate nomination and won a city council seat in the elections.
Kang's hearing took place after the National Assembly approved a motion for her arrest last Tuesday.
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.
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