Kim Young-hwan, the governor of North Chungcheong province, is facing allegations of receiving money and valuables from figures in the sports community. The police have applied for an arrest warrant for him, seven months after they began their investigation in August last year.
According to legal circles and other sources on the 17th, the Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Division of the North Chungcheong Police Department submitted a preliminary arrest warrant for Governor Kim, accusing him of violating the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act and committing bribery following acceptance.
Governor Kim is suspected of having the 20 million won interior cost of Sannmak in Goesan covered by Yoon Doo-young, the president of the North Chungcheong Volleyball Association, in August 2024. In return, he allegedly exerted influence on the process of Yoon’s side’s food company participating in the North Chungcheong Smart Farm project at the end of the year.
Additionally, in April and June last year, ahead of overseas business trips, Governor Kim allegedly received a total of 11 million won on two occasions from three figures in the sports community under the pretense of travel expenses.
Since the beginning of the investigation, Governor Kim has consistently denied taking any money or valuables, claiming that he personally transferred the interior cost to the contractor.
However, the police suspect that he interfered with the investigation by coordinating testimonies with those involved in the case, and they have applied for an arrest warrant citing the risk of evidence destruction.