South Korean media reveals conflicts of interest in cryptocurrency regulation among senior members of the ruling party: criticizes Upbit's son for interning at Bithumb during Upbit period Odaily Planet Daily reported that Kim Byung ki, the representative of the ruling Democratic Party in South Korea, is facing pressure to resign. Several South Korean media outlets have revealed that during the parliamentary campaign to criticize Upbit, the largest cryptocurrency trading platform in South Korea, their son interned at rival Bithumb, raising questions about potential conflicts of interest. According to a former assistant of Kim Byung ki, at the request of Kim Byung ki, his team had launched a "concentrated attack" on Upbit operator Dunamu at the congressional level, with a focus on accusing it of monopolizing the domestic cryptocurrency trading market. The relevant instructions reportedly occurred in February of this year, when Kim Byung ki was still a member of the Parliamentary Affairs Committee, which had direct regulatory authority over financial institutions and cryptocurrency trading platforms. According to investigative media NewsTapa, Kim Byung ki's son was arranged to intern at Bithumb's data analysis team shortly after a private meeting between Kim Byung ki and Bithumb executives in November 2024. In the following weeks, Jin Bingji repeatedly criticized a "trading platform with a market monopoly position" at committee meetings. Although not named, it was widely interpreted by the outside world as pointing to Upbit. However, Kim Byung ki himself has denied the conflict of interest allegations and emphasized that his statements are based on the principle of opposing market monopolies, and that his son's employment is "completely unrelated" to his legislative and regulatory activities. （DL News）