Jang Dong-hyuk, the leader of the People Power Party, emphasized the necessity of a special investigation on January 4th regarding the allegations of bribery for nominations in the Democratic Party during the 2022 local elections. He stated, “There must have been some backing that allowed Kang Sun-woo to confidently secure a sole nomination.”
On his Facebook, Jang claimed, “Listening to the recording between Representatives Kim Byung-ki and Kang Sun-woo, it suggests that Representative Kang should have quietly resolved the matter by returning 100 million won to Kim Kyung. However, the situation developed the opposite way, with a sole nomination certificate being delivered to Kim Kyung the following day.”
He added, “It is unclear who the backing is. However, it is likely someone higher than Kim Byung-ki. This is why a special investigation is necessary.”
Previously, during the 2022 local elections, candidate Kim Kyung, who ran for Seoul City Council, reportedly gave 100 million won to an aide of Representative Kang, who was then rumored to have discussed this matter with the then-nomination committee secretary Kim Byung-ki. Despite being a multi-homeowner and a target for nomination cut-offs, candidate Kim received a sole nomination. Due to these suspicions, Representative Kang left and was expelled from the Democratic Party.
At a press conference on January 2nd, Jang Dong-hyuk also addressed the allegations, stating, “If the police continue to delay and fail to conduct a proper investigation, we will eventually have no choice but to uncover the truth through a special investigation,” and stressed that “President Lee Jae-myung, who dismissed this, is also clearly a subject for investigation.”