Kim Byung-ki, the floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party in South Korea, was accused of attacking the South Korean cryptocurrency exchange Upbit after his son obtained an internship position at Bithumb.

A former assistant of Kim Byung-ki revealed that he was suddenly instructed in February to "attack" Upbit operator Dunamu, calling its "monopoly-like" market dominance a serious problem. It is reported that this instruction occurred shortly after Kim Byung-ki's private meeting with Bithumb.

Kim Byung-ki denied these allegations, stating that he only expressed the common-sense view that "the monopoly of any company cannot be justified" and said that Bithumb's operations and recruitment are "completely unrelated to me."