'100 Million Won Nomination Bribe': Kang Sunwoo Sentenced to 2 Years, 6 Months in First Trial... Plans Appeal (Roundup)

Former Seoul Metropolitan Council Member Kim Gyeong Sentenced to One Year in Prison; Former Aide Receives Suspended Sentence

Independent lawmaker Kang Sunwoo, who was indicted on charges of receiving 100 million won in exchange for a nomination for the Seoul Metropolitan Council, was sentenced to prison in the first trial.

Independent lawmaker Kang Sunwoo, indicted on charges of receiving 100 million won in nomination money, answers reporters' questions as she arrives for a first-trial sentencing hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the 14th. Yonhap News Agency

The Seoul Central District Court's Criminal Division 1, presided over by Judge Lee Chun-geun, sentenced Kang on the 14th to two years and six months in prison and ordered her to pay an additional 100 million won. Kim Gyeong, a former Seoul Metropolitan Council member who handed over the money, was sentenced to one year in prison. Kang's former aide, surnamed Nam, who arranged the meeting between the two, was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended. Prosecutors had sought a four-year prison term for Kang and an additional 100 million won.

Kang and Kim, who had been indicted while in custody and were released on bail last month, were taken back into custody in court that day over concerns that they might destroy evidence or flee.

Kang was indicted while in custody last March on charges of receiving 100 million won in cash from Kim, along with a request related to a nomination, at a hotel in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, on January 7, 2022. At the time, Kang was a lawmaker with the Democratic Party of Korea, represented a district in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, and served on the party's committee for selecting candidates for the Seoul Metropolitan Council. Kim was elected after being nominated as the Democratic Party's sole candidate for the Seoul Metropolitan Council in Gangseo-gu.

During the trial, Kim and Nam admitted to all the charges. Kang, however, acknowledged meeting Kim but denied the charges entirely, saying she had never received a shopping bag containing 100 million won. She claimed that Nam had taken the cash from Kim without her knowledge and made false statements to conceal it.

The court rejected Kang's claims. "There was no reason to hand such a large sum as 100 million won to Nam, who was not the defendant with influence over the nomination," the court said. "If Nam had intended to take the money secretly, there would have been no reason to have Kim bring the shopping bag."

The court found that Kang had been involved in forming the Democratic Party of Korea's Seoul City Party nomination committee at the time and, as the party's district committee chair for Gangseo A, was in a position to exert considerable influence over the nomination of candidates for the Seoul Metropolitan Council. It also found Kim's testimony so detailed that it could not have been given without firsthand experience. As for discrepancies between Kim's and Nam's statements, the court said these could be attributed to the limits of their memories nearly four years later.

The court also found that Kang helped Kim after receiving the money, including by expressing strong support for Kim during the nomination review process. It further found that Kang used the 100 million won to pay a lease deposit.

"Exchanging money through methods not prescribed by the Political Funds Act seriously undermines the vetting of candidates for public office," the court said. "The fact that such a large sum as 100 million won was exchanged makes the conduct highly culpable."

The court added, "The factors weighing against Kang Sunwoo include receiving the large sum of 100 million won, denying the crime and showing no remorse, and using the money for personal purposes."

Meanwhile, Kang's lawyer told reporters shortly after the sentencing that day that they would appeal.

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