Ruling Democratic Party of Korea floor leader Rep. Kim Byung-kee is facing a mounting political firestorm amid growing allegations of undue benefits received by him and his family from airlines and a major public hospital, while a dispute with former aides escalates into legal action.
The scandal began with recent reports that Kim and his family stayed at a luxury suite at the Seogwipo KAL Hotel in Jeju Island using a voucher provided by Korean Air, valued by some outlets at up to 1.64 million won ($1,100) for two nights, in 2023.
Kim, a three-term lawmaker, initially pushed back on the reported price tag but later acknowledged “it was inappropriate” and vowed to return the cost.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, he argued that the allegations were being fueled by former aides — including two attorneys — acting as “whistleblowers under false pretenses,” saying they had “long crossed a line” and that it was now “time to reveal what happened with them.”
“If my conduct fell short of public expectations and standards, the responsibility is entirely mine,” he said, pledging to reflect as a public official and ensure “the same mistake is not repeated.”
The controversy expanded further when MBC on Thursday reported that Kim’s wife and son allegedly received preferential access to care at Boramae Medical Center, a public hospital located in his Seoul constituency of Dongjak-gu. Internal messages obtained by the broadcaster show Kim’s office requesting VIP-like arrangements in April 2022 for his wife’s ophthalmology visit and again in November 2023 for his son’s MRI appointment. Both treatments took place during a period marked by nationwide medical shortages amid a standoff over physician training reforms.
A former aide, requesting anonymity, told MBC that hospital staff escorted the family, and that the requests were carried out “under instruction from the lawmaker and his wife.” If confirmed, observers say the case could raise conflict-of-interest questions, as Kim campaigned on doubling the hospital’s facilities and staffing ahead of the April general election.
Kim responded to MBC that he does not recall the specifics but believes aides may have contacted the hospital due to “personal familiarity,” adding it would be “inappropriate” if the term “protocol” was used. He has insisted he did not request special handling.
The ethics controversy took another turn Thursday afternoon when a former aide filed a police complaint over Kim’s decision to publish excerpts of a private Telegram group chat involving six aides dismissed in December 2024. The former aide claims the chatroom was “illegally obtained” and that its disclosure violated the Protection of Communications Secrets Act. Kim maintains the materials were lawfully acquired.
Kim disclosed excerpts from what he described as a secret Telegram group chat involving six former aides, whom he suspects were behind recent whistleblowing on the Korean Air hotel voucher allegations, via Facebook.
According to Kim, the messages showed aides “mocking the state of emergency declared on Dec. 3,” secretly photographing a female district councilor in his constituency and making sexually inappropriate remarks, as well as using “unspeakably harsh language” toward him and his family, citing it as a reason behind his decision to dismiss them. He said he withheld or minimized some content due to its severity.
The chat logs also included a former aide suggesting he would lie about traveling to Busan to avoid accompanying Kim on official duties, and aides joking about arresting lawmakers during the martial law situation.
Kim said he immediately moved to summarily dismiss the six staff members upon discovering the chat.
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