Ulsan Mayor Kim Sang-wook: "If cleared of prostitution allegations, accusers must retire from politics"

2026.10.04. The Fair Economy — Kim Sang-wook, mayor of Ulsan Metropolitan City, stated that if a police investigation clears him of suspicions regarding his private life, including alleged prostitution in the Philippines, the politicians who raised the doubts should take responsibility by retiring from politics or resigning from their seats.

The mayor said he appeared at the Ulsan Police Headquarters on the morning of the 4th as a suspect to receive his first interrogation.

As he entered the police headquarters, he noted that complaints had been filed in abundance despite no law being broken. Currently, the police are verifying the facts surrounding multiple complaint cases against Mayor Kim, including suspicions of prostitution and violations of the Public Officials Election Act. Claims have also emerged that money was transferred to dispel the prostitution suspicions.

After the Ulsan branch of the People Power Party urged a police investigation into the mayor's alleged prostitution in the Philippines, Mayor Kim denied these suspicions through social networking services (SNS).

He emphasized that the allegations were baseless mudslinging and stated that if the police investigation finds him not guilty, the politicians who raised the doubts should immediately retire from politics and resign from their seats.

He demanded that the media outlets that amplified and reproduced the allegations issue an official apology to the citizens, noting that the wasteful debate is undermining essential reform momentum.

He said that if those who raised the doubts do not retire from politics, a political judgment must be made through the power of citizens. He added that the true victims are the people.

The investigation into Mayor Kim's election law violations is focused on the polling suspension incident that occurred during the candidate unification process for the June 3 local elections. As the statute of limitations for the Public Officials Election Act violation charge expires on December 3, the police have recently sped up their investigation to focus on verifying the facts.

Meanwhile, Mayor Kim is reported to be the wealthiest among the elected heads of metropolitan local governments from the recent local elections. According to his asset disclosure, he reported total assets of 5,024,590,000 won, including approximately 4.5 billion won in personal bank deposits.