Lawmaker sentenced to 2 1/2 yrs in prison over cash-for-nomination scandal

The Korea Times - Oct 14, 2026

A Seoul district court on Wednesday sentenced independent lawmaker Kang Sun-woo to 2 1/2 years in prison on charges of receiving money in exchange for an election nomination. The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence for Kang, formerly a member of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), also ordering her to forfeit 100 million won ($75,000). Kang was indicted on charges of accepting 100 million won from former Seoul city councilor Kim Kyung in January 2022 in exchange for a DPK nomination ahead of the local elections that year. Kang served as a member of the DPK's nomination committee for Seoul city councilors at the time. Kim was selected as a DPK nominee and was elected in the 2022 local elections. The court sentenced Kim to one year in prison and a former aide to Rep. Kang to an eight-month prison term, suspended for two years, for arranging the meeting between Kang and Kim. The court ruled the defendants exchanged illegal political funds, adding their actions undermined election fairness and "severely" damaged the public's trust. Kang left the DPK at the start of th

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