Seoul Police: "Investigation into Kim Byunggi in Final Stages... Closure Procedures Underway"

Police Repeat “Final Stages” on Byung-gi Kim Investigation After a Year of Delays

The police, who have been investigating allegations against Byung-gi Kim, Independent Member of the National Assembly, for nearly a year, once again stated that the investigation is in its final stages.

At a meeting held on August 24, Seoul Metropolitan Police Commissioner Park Jeongbo responded to questions about the status of the investigation into Assemblyman Kim by saying, “The necessary investigations have been completed, and we are finalizing the procedures needed to close the case. The investigation team is working diligently and making every effort to close it as quickly as possible.” In response to repeated questions about delays, he said, “We are trying to complete it as soon as possible. All investigations should be completed as quickly as possible.”

Byungki Kim, Independent Member of the National Assembly. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

When the amended Criminal Procedure Act comes into effect in October 2026, prosecutors’ offices will be abolished, and prosecutors will lose their investigative authority. There is a transitional provision that allows investigations to continue for up to 90 days for cases that are transferred before the amended law takes effect. However, if police investigations extend beyond the implementation of the law, the final decision on the investigation will rest entirely with the police.

Against this backdrop, some have pointed out that the investigations into major cases involving Assemblyman Kim, HYBE, and Coupang are being intentionally delayed. Notably, the police have been investigating for nearly a year Kim’s alleged involvement in his second son’s transfer to Soongsil University’s contract department and his request for employment at the virtual asset exchange Bithumb, yet for several months they have repeated only that “the investigation is in its final stages.”

On August 25, the Police Investigation Review Committee will convene regarding this case, and there are concerns about further delays. This comes after Kim’s former staff requested an investigation review citing the delays. Commissioner Park commented, “Since the main point of requesting the review is expedited investigation, the committee is expected to focus more on formal procedures rather than the substance of the case. Whether the review results are released will be decided by the committee.”

The police also stated that the case involving HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk’s alleged fraudulent and unfair trading has been in its final stages since December last year, but a legal review has continued for eight months. Counting from the initial seizure and search conducted in July of last year, it has exceeded a year. Further delays were caused by the prosecution’s request for supplementary investigation. Regarding this, Commissioner Park explained, “I have been informed that the investigation has been completed and that the closure process is underway.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.