Will Kim Nam-guk's Party Resignation Resolve the Coin Scandal? Doubts Remain...

Kim Nam-guk, a member of the Democratic Party who left the party amid suspicions of holding a large amount of cryptocurrency, called for "reflection and introspection," but it remains uncertain whether the issue will be resolved by his departure. The suspicions surrounding him have yet to be cleared, and given the limitations of the Democratic Party's fact-finding investigation, voices are emerging that judicial procedures are inevitable.

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

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Kim decided to leave the party after causing a major controversy by holding a large amount of coins, estimated to be worth tens of billions of won at one point, and trading coins during his activities in the National Assembly standing committee. The day before, he officially announced his departure through social media (SNS), saying, "I am deeply sorry to my respected party comrades. Today, I am temporarily leaving the beloved Democratic Party. I judged that it is no longer right to burden the party and its members."

However, it is uncertain whether the situation will be resolved by his departure. This is because the view of his leaving is not favorable both outside and inside the Democratic Party. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Yong-jin criticized on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' saying, "He says he loves the party, but he left all the burdens to the party and pushed it into a more difficult situation," and Jo Jeong-hoon of the Transition Era party pointed out on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "I don't think anyone sees Kim's departure as self-reflection."

Kim Byung-min, a Supreme Council member of the People Power Party, pointed out on SNS, "If there is no problem and you feel wronged, why leave the party?" and Jang Ye-chan, the youth supreme council member of the People Power Party, said, "If he leaves, it will be difficult to proceed with the Democratic Party's fact-finding investigation, he won't have to follow recommendations to sell virtual assets, and he might continue to obtain internal information and trade coins as a member of the National Assembly. This is not reflection but a departure that gives him wings."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Democratic Party stated that it would continue the fact-finding investigation even after his departure, but since Kim's cooperation is necessary, it is uncertain whether a proper investigation will take place. Democratic Party floor spokesperson Lee So-young said on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' "Since he stated that he decided to leave the party to reduce the party's burden, I think cooperation will be achieved," but People Power Party lawmaker Lee Yong-ho said on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs,' "There are limits to how much you can investigate and discipline someone who says they will leave the party."

Ultimately, judicial procedures are unavoidable to uncover the truth. Lawmaker Lee Yong-ho said, "Without judicial procedures such as search and seizure, it will be difficult to completely resolve the suspicions currently being raised."

As the suspicions against Kim remain unclear, the controversy is also spilling over to Lee Jae-myung, the leader of the Democratic Party, who was considered Kim's closest aide. People Power Party lawmaker Kim Woong pointed out on SNS, "Ignoring the opposition of the official special advisory group and pushing forward the second 'Bada Story' was because Leader Lee and Kim were a coin community," and added, "So, rushing to make him leave the party and stopping the fact-finding investigation is something Leader Lee himself should clarify now." The 'second Bada Story' he referred to is the pledge to legalize P2E (Play to Earn), which was promoted despite opposition from the special advisory group during Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign, raising allegations of lobbying by the gaming industry.

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