Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party attends the opening ceremony of the National Assembly’s regular session at its main hall in western Seoul on Sept. 1, 2025. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Sept. 1 (Korea Bizwire) — The justice ministry on Monday submitted a request to the National Assembly for its consent to detain Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party embroiled in bribery allegations.
Last week, special counsel Min Joong-ki’s team filed for an arrest warrant for Kweon suspected of receiving 100 million won (US$72,000) in illegal political funds from a former official of the Unification Church, surnamed Yun, in 2022 while being asked to support the church.
By law, sitting lawmakers are immune from arrest while parliament is in session and can only be put under arrest with consent from the National Assembly. A Seoul court began the procedure of requesting the National Assembly’s consent on Friday.
Once Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik receives the request, he is required to report the motion at the next plenary session, which will likely take place on Sept. 9 after Woo returns from his trip to China.
The motion will be put to a vote 24 hours after it is reported. If it is passed, the court will hold an arrest warrant hearing for the lawmaker. If it is voted down, the court will reject the warrant without a hearing.
(Yonhap)
