SEOUL—Rep. Kwon Seong-dong of the People Power Party is set to face a critical arrest warrant hearing on September 16, as he is suspected of violating the Political Funds Act. The hearing will be presided over by Judge Nam Se-jin, who famously ordered the arrest of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in July.
Rep. Kwon, who had his arrest motion approved by the National Assembly, is under scrutiny for allegedly receiving 100 million won in illegal political funds from the Unification Church in January 2022. The money was reportedly a request for support for Unification Church events from Yoon Young-ho, the former head of the church's world headquarters.
The special investigation team led by Special Prosecutor Min Joong-ki requested the arrest warrant on August 28, just one day after Rep. Kwon appeared for questioning. During the 13-hour interrogation, Rep. Kwon maintained his innocence, denying all charges and stating he never received any money from the Unification Church. The special prosecutor's move to secure a sitting lawmaker's detention is the first of its kind among the three special investigations currently underway.
The judge overseeing the case, Judge Nam Se-jin of the Seoul Central District Court, has a history of high-profile decisions. In addition to detaining former President Yoon, he also issued arrest warrants for Jeon Seong-bae, a key figure known as "Gun-jin Beopsa" in various allegations surrounding First Lady Kim Keon-hee, and Lee Jong-ho, the former head of Black Pearl Investment.
This is the second time Rep. Kwon has been on the verge of arrest. He previously faced an arrest warrant hearing in 2018 related to the "Gangwon Land hiring scandal." At that time, the court dismissed the warrant, and he was ultimately acquitted of the charges by the Supreme Court last year. The upcoming hearing at 2 p.m. on September 16 will determine whether Rep. Kwon will face detention as the investigation continues.
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