Prosecutors have rejected an arrest warrant requested by police for independent lawmaker Kim Byeong-gi, who is facing various misconduct allegations, and have called for further investigation. The decision was made based on the assessment that the necessity for arrest had not been sufficiently demonstrated, especially considering that Kim had cooperated with seven rounds of questioning and that five months had passed since the last summons.
The Public Investigation Division 2 of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office announced on September 11 that it returned the arrest warrant application for Kim, submitted by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit, without filing it with the court. This came just four days after the police submitted the request on September 7.
Prosecutors explained, "Considering the fact that the suspect has responded to seven rounds of questioning and the five-month duration of the investigation leading up to the warrant request, there is insufficient justification for the necessity of arrest."
They also determined that additional evidence is needed for some of the allegations. Prosecutors stated, "After closely reviewing the collected evidence and the suspect's defense, we found that some charges require further evidence, prompting us to request supplementary investigation."
Previously, police had applied for the arrest warrant against Kim under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, citing allegations of bribery, breach of trust, and obstruction of business.
Police believe that Kim facilitated favorable legislative activities for Jinwoo Sanjeon in exchange for securing a job for his son, resulting in benefits amounting to over 67 million won, including salary and college tuition. There are also allegations that he improperly intervened in his son's transfer to Sungkyunkwan University and employment at a virtual asset exchange.
Kim is also accused of receiving sponsorship funds from Shilla Leisure in exchange for favorable legislative activities after receiving hotel accommodation vouchers from Korean Air. The warrant reportedly includes allegations that he misused the business expense card of former Dongjak District Council member Jo Jin-hee and overlooked a 100 million won campaign contribution to independent lawmaker Kang Seon-woo during the 2022 local elections.
Additionally, there are suspicions that he received 30 million won in campaign contributions from two former Dongjak District Council members before the 2020 general election, which he later returned, as well as allegations regarding the personal use of a corporate card by his spouse and attempts to cover up related investigations.
Police plan to conduct the supplementary investigation requested by prosecutors before deciding whether to reapply for the arrest warrant. Depending on the results of the additional investigation, there is also a possibility that they may choose not to reapply and instead send Kim for prosecution without detention.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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