The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit announced that it has formally requested an arrest warrant for independent lawmaker Kim Byung-kee. The request comes exactly one year after police launched an investigation into multiple corruption allegations involving the lawmaker, who previously faced scrutiny over 13 separate counts of alleged misconduct. 

The warrant application, filed with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, focuses primarily on charges of bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, alongside charges of business obstruction and professional breach of trust. Law enforcement officials stated that the decision to pursue a pre-trial detention warrant was made because the charges have been objectively substantiated by evidence, coupled with concerns regarding potential evidence destruction. 

At the center of the warrant are allegations regarding preferential treatment for Kim's second son. Investigators believe that the lawmaker promised favorable legislative activities for a local small-to-medium-sized enterprise in exchange for hiring his son, enabling him to meet the employment prerequisites required for a special contract-based transfer to Soongsil University. Police noted that the son received tens of millions of won in economic benefits, including wages and tuition support through this arrangement. 

Additional charges outlined in the warrant include business obstruction related to allegations that Kim—who served as a secretary for the Democratic Party's nomination committee during the 2022 local elections—knowingly turned a blind eye to former lawmaker Kang Sun-woo accepting 100 million won from a local politician. The warrant also incorporates bribery charges stemming from corporate sponsorships accepted from leisure companies and a hotel accommodation voucher worth 1.6 million won provided by Korean Air during his tenure on the National Assembly's Land Infrastructure and Transport Committee. Furthermore, an accusation of professional breach of trust was applied regarding Kim's spouse allegedly misusing corporate credit cards from the Dongjak-gu Council. 

While the police have taken a major step in securing Kim's detention, several high-profile allegations were omitted from the current warrant application. Notably, suspicions surrounding illegal campaign donations from former district council members, meetings with tech company executives to discuss personnel disadvantages for former aides, and allegations concerning his eldest son's National Intelligence Service deployment were excluded from this filing, though investigations into related matters are expected to continue. 

Kim resigned from his leadership positions within his former party late last year and subsequently left the party as public pressure mounted. If prosecutors formally request the court to issue the warrant, the National Assembly will process a consent request for his arrest, given that sitting lawmakers retain immunity from detention while Parliament is in session unless a motion is passed.

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