
The suspicion of receiving bribes worth 100 million won was dismissed at the public prosecution stage.
AI-generated summary
Kang Ho-dong, chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, has been under police investigation for suspicions of receiving bribes worth 100 million won and misappropriating internal public funds.
“It is difficult to say that the charges have been sufficiently proven.”
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Choi Won-jeong = The arrest warrant applied by the police for Kang Ho-dong, chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation, who is suspected of receiving bribes worth 100 million won, was dismissed at the public prosecution office stage.
On the 6th, the Seoul Central District Public Prosecution Office's Non-Transfer Review Division 1 (Chief Prosecutor Lee Si-jeon) announced that it had dismissed the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's arrest warrant request for Chairman Kang and partner company representative Mr. A.
It has been three days since the Anti-Corruption Investigation Unit of the Metropolitan Investigation Division of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency applied for arrest warrants for these people on the 3rd of this month.
The Public Prosecution Office judged that it was difficult to say that the main charges against the suspects had been sufficiently proven to warrant an arrest warrant.
In addition, considering the progress of the investigation, which has been ongoing for more than 1 year and 6 months, and the attendance of the suspects, it is difficult to acknowledge the necessity and reasonableness of detention at this stage.
The Public Prosecution Office announced that it had made this decision after summoning and interviewing Chairman Kang Ho-dong the afternoon of the previous day and carefully reviewing the evidence collected by the police.
Chairman Kang is suspected of receiving more than 100 million won in money and valuables from the representative of a service company that had a business relationship with an affiliate of the National Nonghyup Federation around January 2024, which was the election season.
The police have been suspicious that the company's representative gave money and valuables on two occasions and asked for business convenience at a time when the election was expected to be strong.
In addition, suspicions of misappropriation of internal public funds have also been investigated.
This is a suspicion that some departments of the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation purchased expensive gift items with public money from 2024 to last year and delivered them to the president's office and vice president's office.
In addition, the police are investigating Chairman Kang on charges of violating the Anti-Corruption and Corruption Act regarding his receipt of hundreds of millions of won in bribes during his mother-in-law's funeral in May of last year.
If it is proven that compensation is related to duties such as personnel management, bribery can be applied.

Kenyan cult leader Paul Ntenge Mackenzie has been sentenced to 200 years in prison for murdering 191 people by forcing them to starve. In 2023, hundreds of bodies were discovered in Shakahola Forest, and this incident became known to the world and is called the 'Shakahola Forest Massacre'.

The Serious Crimes Investigation Office transferred the case of Coupang's 'suspicion of issuing false tax invoices' reported by the National Tax Service to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. The Seoul Heavy Duty Investigation Office is not in charge of violating the Tax Offender Punishment Act and made this decision due to concerns about duplication of police investigations.

A father in his 40s who assaulted his 2-month-old daughter to death and deleted the home cam video to destroy evidence was indicted on charges including child abuse and murder.

With Kim Jong-cheol, Deputy Commissioner of the National Police Agency, being nominated as a candidate for the new Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, the 23-month-long acting system for the National Police Agency is expected to end. The new commissioner has tasks such as restoring public trust, stabilizing the investigation due to the separation of investigation and prosecution, and resolving the conflict over the rotational work system.

The Cyber Investigation Department of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that it had sent 12 people, including Mr. A, a man in his 30s, without detention on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act, who purchased 3,069 tickets for professional baseball, concerts, and fan signing events using a macro program and then resold them at 10 to 30 times the regular price. An application was made for confiscation and collection preservation before indictment for the 416.57 million won in criminal proceeds.

At the Suwon District Court appellate trial, the Public Prosecution Service sentenced Mr. A and his accomplice, Mr. B, an illegal private finance businessman who earned interest of up to 18,000% per year through gift certificate pre-sale methods, to six years in prison. He is also suspected of making false accusations against 39 victims, and his crimes were revealed following the death of a woman in her 30s. Sentencing is scheduled for the 23rd of next month.