Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook, who is under investigation for allegations of violating public office election laws and involvement in prostitution in the Philippines, appeared before the police for the first time on October 4 and denied all related charges.
According to Yonhap News, Mayor Kim arrived at the Ulsan Police Agency around 8 a.m. and told reporters, "Despite no violations of the law, accusations have been rampant. This has been personally humiliating, and it has caused confusion among citizens."
He added, "I hope this police investigation will serve as an opportunity to correct the misunderstandings. I intend to focus solely on my work, as I believe I have done nothing wrong and will speak honestly about the situation."
This marks the first time Mayor Kim has directly appeared for questioning by the police. The investigation is expected to focus primarily on the allegations of violating public office election laws. With the statute of limitations for the related charges set to expire on December 3, police are reportedly accelerating their investigation.
During the June 3 local elections, Mayor Kim was accused of violating public office election laws and criminal obstruction for halting opinion polls during the candidate unification process between the Democratic Party and the Justice Party.
At that time, Kim's campaign team claimed they discovered signs of organized interference in the opinion polls by certain groups, leading to the decision to suspend the polls. Subsequently, the Justice Party accepted a re-election, confirming Kim as the unified candidate, and he was elected as the mayor of Ulsan.
In response, the Ulsan chapter of the People Power Party filed a complaint, arguing that Kim's team misrepresented the situation, suggesting that the polling company had found irregularities and halted the polls, thereby influencing the election.
Mayor Kim has also been reported to face allegations related to prostitution in the Philippines, with claims that money was exchanged to cover up these allegations.
The day before his police appearance, Mayor Kim strongly denied the allegations on social media, stating, "If the police investigation results in no charges, those who raised these suspicions and engaged in false propaganda should take responsible actions, such as retiring from politics or resigning from their positions."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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