Kim Byung Ki Faces Probes Over Bribery And Coupang Meeting

In the closing weeks of 2025, South Korea’s political landscape has been rocked by a series of allegations and investigations centering on Kim Byung-ki, a prominent member of the Democratic Party and former People Power Party representative. The controversy, which has dominated headlines and political discourse, revolves around two major events: a suspicious cash transaction tied to a luxury hotel project and a high-profile luncheon with a corporate executive that has raised questions about political influence and propriety.

On December 20, 2025, news broke that Kim Byung-ki had opened a special case investigation and issued a public apology in the National Assembly. According to reporting from multiple outlets, including JNewsK and 천지일보, the investigation focuses on a cash transaction totaling 70 million won, allegedly linked to a sprawling five billion won hotel construction project near the National Intelligence Service. Kim, addressing his colleagues and the public, did not shy away from the gravity of the situation. "I acknowledge the seriousness of the issue and promise to cooperate fully with the investigation," Kim declared, as reported by JNewsK.

The case, described by both the media and officials as targeting bribery and illicit cash payments, has put Kim and several associates under the microscope. The suspicions were publicly revealed and were actively being investigated as of December 19 and 20, 2025, with the National Assembly convening special hearings to probe the matter further. The allegations have cast a shadow not only over Kim’s career but also over broader perceptions of political-business entanglements in South Korea.

But the hotel project scandal is just one front in the mounting challenges facing Kim Byung-ki. Around the same time, another controversy erupted, this time involving an allegedly improper luncheon with Park Dae-joon, the former CEO of Coupang, one of South Korea’s most influential e-commerce firms. The meeting, which took place on September 5 at a high-end hotel restaurant in Seoul’s Yeouido district, has become a flashpoint for debate in both political and media circles.

According to CBS Nocut News and corroborated by 천지일보, the luncheon occurred less than a month before a scheduled parliamentary audit—a period when scrutiny of corporate and political relationships is especially intense. At the private meeting, Kim reportedly presented sensitive personnel-related documents concerning a Coupang executive who had previously served as one of his aides. The presence of Min Byung-ki, Coupang’s Vice President of External Affairs, added further intrigue to the affair.

The cost of the meal, totaling around 700,000 won (approximately 23,000 won per person), was not the only detail to raise eyebrows. The aftermath of the meeting saw notable personnel changes at Coupang: former aides of Kim who had joined the company were either reassigned overseas or dismissed, with one executive reportedly let go just a month after being hired. These developments fueled speculation about whether the luncheon, and the information shared therein, had influenced corporate decisions.

Adding to the complexity, an audio recording obtained by CBS Nocut News revealed Park Dae-joon recounting the episode to a senior company official two months later. "Kim Byung-ki showed me something, but I thought knowing about it would not benefit the company, so I ignored it. I refused," Park reportedly said. He continued, "I hope neither I nor the company ever have to know this uncomfortable truth," suggesting that the proposal or information presented could be burdensome for Coupang. The recording also included Park’s assurance, "I have no intention of disadvantaging anyone just because I heard such a thing," hinting at the delicate nature of the personnel discussions that took place.

Against this backdrop, Kim Byung-ki has mounted a vigorous defense. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly on December 18, he dismissed the accusations outright. "I don’t think meeting with Coupang itself is a problem. What matters is what was discussed and in what context. I meet with anyone," Kim stated, as reported by 천지일보. He pushed back on the notion that the meeting’s private nature was suspicious, retorting, "If two people meet, is it secret, but if several meet, it’s public?"

Kim was particularly adamant that he had not meddled in Coupang’s internal affairs. He explained that it was Coupang, not himself, who first raised the matter of his former aides. Kim suggested that his name may have been used by his former staff during their employment process and that he had simply addressed this concern. He further criticized the media coverage, saying, "I don’t see this as normal journalistic behavior."

Taking to social media, Kim offered further clarification, even down to the specifics of his meal. "The pasta I ordered that day was 38,000 won," he noted, pushing back against suggestions of lavish spending. He also insisted that the documents he showed at the luncheon were "completely unrelated to Coupang’s business and concerned damages I suffered due to a former aide." Kim stressed, "I have no connection whatsoever to Coupang’s personnel decisions." He pointed out that as of September 5, one of the two former aides had not yet joined Coupang, and that Park Dae-joon actually hired an additional former aide after their meeting. Regarding the selection of Coupang’s chairman, Kim Bum-seok, as a parliamentary audit witness, Kim clarified, "Witnesses are decided by the standing committee, and in fact, Kim Bum-seok was selected as a witness."

Kim also asserted that, during the luncheon, he raised issues about Coupang’s labor environment, industrial accidents, and overwork, and requested cooperation on trade negotiations with the United States. "As a member of the National Assembly and the ruling party’s floor leader, I did what I was supposed to do. I will continue to meet anyone if necessary," he said.

The unfolding saga has sparked fierce debate within the political establishment. Some critics argue that, regardless of legal outcomes, the timing and nature of Kim’s meeting with a major corporate executive—so close to a parliamentary audit—were inappropriate. Others contend that the scrutiny is excessive and that Kim’s actions fall within the realm of legitimate legislative work. Legal experts have weighed in, suggesting that the case could involve potential violations of the Improper Solicitation and Graft Act or the Political Funds Act, especially if it is found that Kim’s actions exerted undue pressure on Coupang’s personnel decisions.

The dual crises—one involving alleged bribery tied to a hotel project, the other raising questions of influence and propriety in corporate affairs—have put Kim Byung-ki at the center of a storm. As investigations continue and the National Assembly presses forward with hearings, the outcome remains uncertain, but the case has already ignited a broader conversation about transparency, ethics, and the ever-complicated relationship between South Korea’s political and business elites.

For now, the nation watches closely, awaiting both the results of the investigations and the next moves from one of its most scrutinized lawmakers.