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| ▲ This file photo, taken Nov. 28, 2025, shows Rep. Kang Sun-woo speaking at a parliamentary hearing at the National Assembly in Seoul. (Yonhap) |
ruling party-bribery allegation
Key figure in DP nomination bribery allegation departs country; police seek entry notification
SEOUL, Jan. 5 (Yonhap) -- Police have learned that a Seoul city councilor suspected of offering bribe money in exchange for her nomination by the ruling Democratic Party (DP) in the past has left the country, according to sources Monday.
According to investigative sources, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's public corruption investigation unit recently asked prosecutors to notify police when Kim Kyung, the councilor in question, reenters South Korea.
Kim is known to have recently departed the country to visit her children who are currently staying in the United States, the sources said.
The DP has recently been rocked by allegations that an aide of Rep. Kang Sun-woo, formerly of the ruling party but now an independent, allegedly received 100 million won (US$69,250) from Kim in the lead-up to the 2022 local elections in exchange for a constituency nomination.
The DP expelled Kang from the party Thursday, hours after she announced she would leave the party.
Police are examining whether Kim's overseas trip could be an attempt to evade an investigation. Authorities plan to impose a travel ban and question her about the allegations once she returns to the country.
The case has recently drawn public attention after a local media outlet released an audio recording of Kang discussing the episode with Rep. Kim Byung-kee of the same party, who at the time served as the secretary of the DP's Seoul nomination committee.
Kim, who also faces additional allegations of misconduct, resigned from the party's floor leadership Tuesday. The DP has decided to take disciplinary measures against the lawmaker.
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