Minister of National Defense Ahn Kyu-baek, who was accused of receiving money from Seoul City Councilor Kim Kyung (left) in 2018. [Photo = Yonhap News]The civic group Citizens for the Welfare of the People (Seominwi, Secretary General Kim Soon-hwan) has filed a complaint against Minister of National Defense Ahn Kyu-baek (currently a member of the Democratic Party of Korea) for alleged violation of the Political Funds Act, claiming he received money from Seoul City Councilor Kim Kyung in 2018.

Seominwi filed a complaint with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Division against Minister Ahn on the 19th, accusing him of abuse of power, bribery under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Crimes, accepting bribes and subsequently engaging in dishonest acts or accepting bribes later, violation of the Political Funds Act, and obstruction of business.

Kim Soon-hwan, Secretary General of Seominwi, held a press conference in front of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Mapo Building in Mapo-gu, Seoul, and claimed, "The Kim Kyung connection starts with Ahn Kyu-baek and extends to Representative Kang Seon-woo, Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, and Democratic Party member Representative Chae Hyun-il."

He further stated, "Councilor Kim is a ticking time bomb. She will speak out at any moment. As far as I know, approximately 4 billion won is involved. The police must have a clear intention to investigate and determine the truth regarding Minister Ahn."

The complaint states, "Minister Ahn is the person who helped Councilor Kim first enter politics. As the Seoul City Party Chairman, he received a large donation of 5 million won from Councilor Kim on December 5, 2016. In the 7th nationwide local elections in 2018, he ensured her election as a proportional representative candidate for the Seoul Metropolitan Council under the Democratic Party of Korea."

Secretary General Kim also raised questions about the connection between Representative Kang Seon-woo and Councilor Kim in 2022.

Kim Soon-hwan, Secretary General of the Citizens for the Welfare of the People, holds a press conference at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency on the 19th. [Photo = Yonhap News]

Secretary General Kim emphasized, "There are reports that Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji was aware of the 100 million won donation for Councilor Kim's nomination and the allegations of Representative Kang Seon-woo receiving it, and that this information was reported to the party leadership at the time. Despite this, an investigation is absolutely necessary into why she received a sole nomination without any significant objections during the nomination process."

He also stated, "Chief of Staff Kim Hyun-ji was responsible for reporting nomination-related matters to the Democratic Party's leader's office at the time."

While Seominwi has currently limited the scope of the complaint to Minister Ahn alone, they have stated their intention to submit relevant materials to the investigative authorities if further reports are confirmed.

Meanwhile, Seoul City Councilor Kim Kyung, the key suspect in the Democratic Party's '100 million won nomination bribery' case, is also facing suspicions of preferential treatment recently, as her family company has secured hundreds of billions of won in Seoul city projects through exclusive contracts and other means.

Seominwi Account: Post Office 010108-01-014472

Account Holder: Citizens for the Welfare of the People

Reporter Im Yo-hee