Police Name Bithumb Official as Suspect in 'Kim Byungki Son's Preferential Hiring' Case
Bribery Charges: Status Changed from Witness to Suspect
The police have identified an official from the virtual asset exchange Bithumb as a suspect in connection with allegations of preferential employment for the second son of independent lawmaker Kim Byungki.
On June 9, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crime Investigation Unit announced that Bithumb official A, who had previously been questioned as a witness, has now been designated a suspect on charges of offering bribes. The police specified A as a suspect in the warrant during a search and seizure of Bithumb's headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the previous day. This comes four months after the first compulsory investigation began on February 24, 2026.
Mr. A is suspected of having been asked by Assemblyman Kim to hire his son during a meeting with Bithumb executives and others in September 2024.
The police are investigating suspicions that Assemblyman Kim intervened in the hiring of his second son, Mr. Kim, at Bithumb. Assemblyman Kim is under suspicion of accepting bribes in relation to the employment solicitation for his son. According to written statements from a former aide and others, Assemblyman Kim expressed interest in Bithumb and other virtual asset companies regarding his son’s employment and reportedly attempted to solicit jobs from both Bithumb and Dunamu between September and November 2024. Mr. Kim worked at Bithumb for six months starting in January last year, while Assemblyman Kim served on the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, which oversees the Financial Services Commission.
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In addition to allegations of preferential treatment in his son’s employment at Bithumb, Assemblyman Kim is currently facing a total of 13 accusations. These include suspicions that he received 30 million won in cash from two members of the Dongjak District Council in Seoul ahead of the 2020 general election, which he later returned; allegations that his spouse, Ms. Lee, misused a Dongjak District Council corporate card for personal purposes; and claims that he exerted undue influence during a preliminary investigation by the Seoul Dongjak Police Station into a case involving his spouse.
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