'Kim Byung-ki probe' period extended again... Police weigh referral next week

Investigation Review Committee votes to extend probe through November 30
Police to conclude investigation after considering whether to reapply for arrest warrant

Police investigating allegations that independent Assemblyman Kim Byung-ki accepted bribes and sought jobs for his children have extended the investigation period through November 30. After reviewing whether to reapply for an arrest warrant, police are expected to refer the case to prosecutors next week and conclude the investigation.

According to police on November 12, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Investigation Review Committee held a regular meeting on November 10 and voted to extend the investigation period for the case involving Assemblyman Kim, being handled by the agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit, through November 30. The committee stipulated that this would be the final extension, with no further extensions to be granted.

Independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki answers reporters' questions as he arrives at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Mapo Complex Building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the 31st of last month. Yonhap News Agency

Previously, at its regular meeting on August 25, the committee recommended that police promptly handle the case involving Assemblyman Kim by the end of September, within one month. Police applied for an arrest warrant for Kim on September 7, but prosecutors returned it four days later, on September 11, requesting a supplementary investigation on the grounds that the need for his detention had not been sufficiently established. At the investigation team's request, the investigation period was subsequently extended once, on October 6, through the end of October.

This time, the investigation team did not separately request an extension, but the committee is understood to have voted to grant one. The committee's recommendation for an expedited investigation is not a legally binding coercive measure.

Police plan to review whether to reapply for an arrest warrant for Kim before referring the case to prosecutors next week.

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