Kim Byung-gi, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea running for the party's floor leader election, stated that an investigation will be requested into National Intelligence Service employees regarding reports that his wife solicited employment for their son from the director general at the National Intelligence Service.
On the 10th, after completing a comprehensive debate with Democratic Party floor leader candidates at the National Assembly Members’ Office Building, Kim met with reporters and said regarding the solicitation allegations, “I will request an investigation regardless of the election outcome.”
On this day, MBC reported allegations of solicitation based on a recorded call between Kim’s wife, Lee, and the then Director General of the National Intelligence Service, Lee Heon-soo, in July 2016. In the call, Lee stated, “Our son passed the written, physical, and interview exams for the National Intelligence Service, but they used all sorts of excuses and failed him in the background check, ruining the young man's life like that.”
Kim's son passed the document screening, written, and interview stages of the National Intelligence Service’s open recruitment in 2014, but failed the background check. In subsequent open recruitment processes in 2015 and 2016, he failed the interview and written tests, respectively. After Lee's call with the Director General of the National Intelligence Service, the service conducted a career recruitment, in which Kim's son reportedly succeeded.
After the debate that day, Kim stated, “I officially clarified twice, in 2018 and 2025, that there were no issues.” Kim also mentioned, “The National Intelligence Service conducted several inspections and audits, and results from the Board of Audit and Inspection also revealed no issues.”
Kim emphasized, “However, whenever the time comes, the solicitation allegations resurface. If somebody is spreading it, then forensic examination falls within the official duties of the Director General of the National Intelligence Service.” Kim further remarked, “Whoever performed the forensic examination as part of their official duties must have leaked that data.”
A former member of the National Intelligence Service, Kim stated, “Shouldn’t reports begin with why this issue occurred? Although I previously refrained because those who led it retired and it would harm my juniors, I will now reveal the truth.”