Former DPK lawmaker's ex-aide appears before police again for bribery allegations

An ex-aide to Rep. Kang Sun-woo, formerly a lawmaker of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea appears before police for the second round of questioning on an alleged bribery case ahead of the 2022 local elections, Saturday. Yonhap

A former aide to ex-ruling party Rep. Kang Sun-woo appeared before police Saturday to undergo questioning for a second time in connection to a bribery case.

The former aide, surnamed Nam, arrived at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's office at 9:49 a.m., 11 days after being first questioned by police.

Nam was seen covering his face with the hood of his windbreaker and remained tight-lipped to questions from reporters.

The former aide to Rep. Kang, formerly of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), is accused of receiving cash of over 100 million won ($68,170) from Kim Kyoung, a Seoul city councilor, ahead of the local elections in 2022, allegedly in exchange for her councillorship nomination.

In the first police questioning, Nam admitted to meeting Kim with Kang but denied claims of receiving cash, saying he was not present when the cash was transferred.

He later moved what he called an "item" into the trunk of Rep. Kang's car, without knowing that there was cash inside, according to Nam.

Kim has reportedly claimed in a statement submitted to police that she personally gave the cash to Kang at a cafe in the lead-up to the elections.

In contrast, Kang has said that she belatedly learned of her aide's acceptance of the cash and claimed to have instructed him to return it.

Kang has recently quit the DPK after the allegations surfaced.

The police said it plans to summon Kang, Tuesday.