Police Summon Kim Byungki's Second Son as Suspect over Alleged Preferential Soongsil University Transfer

Second Son Questioned One Day Before Summoning Kim Byungki

The police investigating allegations of preferential treatment in the transfer of independent lawmaker Kim Byungki's second son to Soongsil University have summoned the son as a suspect.

The Public Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced on the 25th that it had summoned Kim's second son, identified only by his surname Kim, to the Mapo Government Complex for questioning on charges of obstruction of business.

Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency building, Jongno District, Seoul. Yonhap News

The police are investigating allegations that Assemblyman Kim intervened in his second son's transfer process to Soongsil University and that he solicited a job for him at the virtual asset exchange Bithumb. In a written statement previously submitted to the police, one of Kim's former aides said that while looking for ways for Kim's son to transfer, he heard from Lee Jihui, a Dongjak-gu council member, that "students can transfer to Soongsil University's contract department without a TOEIC score," and that Kim visited Soongsil University in late 2021. The core allegation is that afterward, Lee and the aides arranged for the second son to be illicitly hired by a mid-sized company in order to meet the transfer requirements.

According to this statement, Kim also showed interest in coin-related companies such as Bithumb in connection with his son's employment and is said to have attempted to solicit jobs from both Bithumb and Dunamu around September to November 2024. The police are reportedly planning to question Kim in detail about the Bithumb hiring process as well.

The police conducted searches and seizures the previous day at Bithumb's headquarters office and the Bithumb Financial Tower building, and plan to summon Assemblyman Kim as a suspect on bribery charges for questioning over two days, on the 26th and 27th.