Bithumb executive questioned as suspect over alleged preferential hiring of lawmaker's son

A senior executive at cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb, suspected of granting preferential employment to the second son of independent lawmaker Kim Byung-kee at the lawmaker's alleged request, has appeared before police for questioning as a suspect.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Public Crimes Investigation Unit summoned the executive, identified only as A, from Bithumb's government relations team on Thursday, July 9, and completed an initial round of suspect questioning on charges including bribery. Police pressed A on how he came to possess the resume of Kim's second son.

Police confirmed that A — not a member of Bithumb's human resources department — had received the resume, and recently reclassified him as a suspect. The resume was discovered on A's computer during a search and seizure of Bithumb's headquarters in February.

Before summoning A, police had also questioned B, the head of the data marketing team where Kim's son had worked, as a suspect on Wednesday, July 8. The latest summons follow a second search and seizure of Bithumb's headquarters on June 24, signaling that investigators are pressing hard to establish the facts behind the alleged hiring request.

Kim's second son joined Bithumb in January last year and worked there for about six months. Police are also looking into why Bithumb hired a string of people close to Kim around the same period. The exchange brought on as an adviser a former National Intelligence Service officer, identified as C, who had been working as a legislative assistant in Kim's office during the first half of last year. Around August of the same year, Bithumb also gave an informal advisory role to D, a former aide from Kim's office.

Kim is under investigation on allegations that he met with Bithumb officials in late 2024 and lobbied them to hire his second son. He also faces allegations that he engaged in legislative activities favorable to Bithumb while serving on the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee, which oversees virtual asset policy.