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Scrutiny Mounts Over South Korean Lawmaker’s Son’s Bithumb Hire, Upbit Questioning

Aide testimony about hiring steps has intensified questions about Kim Byung-kee’s neutrality in crypto oversight.

Overview

  • New reports cite a former aide who says staff circulated Kim Byung-kee’s son’s résumé and that a Bithumb posting appeared tailored to his background.
  • According to the timelines reported, Kim met Bithumb executives in November, the posting appeared soon after, and his son worked there from January to June.
  • A former assistant says Kim told aides to “attack Dunamu,” and in February he pressed Upbit on market share, Terra-Luna handling, and FIU findings without questioning Bithumb.
  • Kim denies any improper link between his oversight and his son’s role, and Bithumb says the hiring followed transparent, open recruitment.
  • The controversy is adding pressure to ongoing reviews of crypto market competition, with political calls for accountability reported and no formal ethics penalty or criminal finding to date.