Former Governors Lee Won-taek and Kim Kwan-young Referred to Prosecutors on Election Law Violation Charges
Two former governors have been handed over to prosecutors on charges of violating the Public Official Election Act (the law governing election rules), following a police investigation. The case involves two men who served as the heads of their region while in office. The Anti-Corruption and Economic Crimes Investigation Unit of the North Jeolla Provincial Police Agency referred Lee Won-taek, former governor of North Jeolla Self-Governing Province, and Kim Kwan-young, also a former governor of the province, to prosecutors without detention (without physical restraint) on the 17th on charges of violating the election law.
The case originated from a meal on November 29 last year at a restaurant in Jeongeup with young party members. Governor Lee claimed that he personally paid the 150,000 won bill for himself and his aides, but police found that no actual payment had been made and referred him on charges of making false public statements.
A police official explained regarding former provincial councilor Kim Seul-ji, who paid the entire 727,000 won meal cost at the time: "We determined that the charge was warranted for the person who made the donation," adding, "No evidence was found that Governor Lee conspired in or was involved in this offense." The former councilor was referred separately on charges of unlawful donation. The complaint against Governor Lee, filed after he said during TV debates that former Governor Kim had "aided an insurrection," was not referred, with a police official explaining: "We judged it to be an exaggeration of existing facts rather than a distortion or fabrication of facts."
Former Governor Kim was referred for violating restrictions on donations after police found that on November 30 last year, he provided 1.08 million won in cash to 18 attendees, including young party members, at a restaurant in Jeonju under the pretext of designated driver fees. Kim's side argued that the money was later repaid, but police did not consider this grounds to overturn the charge.
Meanwhile, allegations that he sought to trade benefits in exchange for obtaining the restaurant's internal CCTV footage were not referred, as no evidence of collusion with former Governor Kim was found. However, two officials who discussed the transaction were handed over to prosecutors on charges of bribery and inducement of improper conduct.
Whether former Governor Kim's statement—made as an independent candidate—that he had consulted or communicated with President Lee Jae-myung about his candidacy constitutes a false public statement is still under discussion with prosecutors, and no final disposition has been made. A police official said, "We are still consulting with the prosecution, so it is difficult to disclose the outcome." The roughly six-month police investigation into the former and sitting governors has thus come to a close.
