Kim Nam-guk: "The coin traded in the standing committee was worth a few thousand won... I will fight against false information"

Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party who left the party amid the controversy over the multi-billion coin, stated that the coin traded during the National Assembly standing committee meeting, which caused controversy, was only worth a few thousand won, while saying he would "fight against false information."

On the 15th, Kim appeared on the YouTube program 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and addressed the allegations of coin trading during the National Assembly standing committee, saying, "Regardless of whether it was during or outside the committee time, I was very wrong," and "I apologize to many citizens, fellow lawmakers, and party members, and I am reflecting and contemplating without any excuse."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Regarding the amount traded during the committee meeting, he said, "It was such a small amount that I don't remember exactly. It should be at the level of a few thousand won."

Various suspicions have been raised surrounding his coin trading background, including allegations of using undisclosed information, lobbying by the gaming industry, and 'airdrop (free distribution)' suspicions. However, Kim emphasized that "although I have refrained until now, I will strongly fight against false information," stressing that these claims are groundless.

Regarding the controversy over a potential 'conflict of interest' as the price of the 'Wemix' coin held by Kim surged around the time the Democratic Party camp announced a P2E (Play to Earn) legalization pledge during the last presidential election, he said, "It has not been definitively confirmed whether the surge actually occurred at that time," adding, "At that time, hot issues like the metaverse and P2E were emerging, and both parties' election camps were trying to use those as part of their election campaigns."

On the suspicion that he received free coins through an airdrop, he explained, "It is like receiving a kind of interest, just as one receives interest from a bank or dividends from stocks when depositing money," and said, "It is a service anyone can use, but the articles distorted it as if I received free coins."

Regarding the criticism that his departure from the Democratic Party was an attempt to avoid an internal fact-finding investigation, he denied it, saying, "I was the first to request a fact-finding investigation within the party," and "It is absolutely not to avoid it." He added, "Legal responsibility and political/moral responsibility are separate issues," and said, "It was very difficult to watch the party suffer because of my issue. I will leave the party and resolve all suspicions alone in the wilderness."

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