As an arrest warrant has been requested for independent lawmaker Kim Byung-ki, the 22nd National Assembly is expected to hold a vote on the fifth arrest motion against a sitting lawmaker. The assembly has already seen four votes on arrest motions involving current lawmakers, including former People Power Party member Kwon Seong-dong, Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho, independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo, and former Democratic Party member Shin Young-dae, marking a period heavily marred by legal controversies.
As of September 8, a total of four current and former lawmakers, including Shin, Kang, Kwon, and Choo, have had arrest warrants requested and have undergone votes on their arrest motions.
Shin faced allegations of manipulating public opinion during the party primary against candidate Kim Ui-gyeom in the 2024 general election. An arrest motion was presented on November 2 of the same year, but it was ultimately rejected with 93 votes in favor, 197 against, and 5 abstentions.
In contrast, Kang, who was implicated in the alleged acceptance of 100 million won in bribes related to party nominations, saw his arrest motion pass on February 24 with 164 votes in favor, 87 against, 3 abstentions, and 9 invalid votes. Following a court review, he was subsequently detained. If Kim's arrest motion passes, he would become the second sitting lawmaker from the Democratic Party to have an arrest motion approved, following Kang.
Former People Power Party member Kwon and Mayor Choo were both implicated in allegations of receiving illegal political funds from the Unification Church and charges related to insurrection. Their arrest motions were voted on September 11 and November 27 of last year, respectively. Both received 173 and 172 votes in favor, leading to Kwon's detention, while Choo's arrest warrant was rejected after a court review.
On September 7, police investigating 13 allegations against Kim, including bribery and obstruction of business, submitted a request for a pre-arrest warrant to the prosecution under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes.
The prosecution will review the investigation records, and if they find sufficient grounds for arrest, they will file a request with the court. Following this, the court will submit a request for arrest approval to the government, which will then seek the National Assembly's consent for the arrest motion.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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