SEOUL– Lawmakers of the rival parties clashed Tuesday over allegations that the real purpose of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon’s visit to the United States in July was to dig into irregularities allegedly involving opposition leader Lee Jae-myung.
On Monday, Rep. Kim Eui-kyeom of the main opposition Democratic Party raised the allegations that Han made the visit to investigate the alleged involvement of DP leader Lee and other opposition politicians in the case of former Ethereum developer Virgil Griffith.
Griffith was sentenced to 63 months in prison by a U.S. court on charges of conspiring to provide blockchain technology and other technical advice on using cryptocurrency to North Korea in 2019 as a means to evade economic sanctions, according to a press release by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Kim said the justice minister is not allowed to lead an investigation into individual cases.
In a parliamentary audit session on Tuesday, lawmakers of the ruling People Power Party called for an investigation into allegations that cryptocurrency can be used to skirt sanctions and send money to North Korea.
But DP lawmakers said the issue should not be politicized, as no facts have been confirmed.
Source: Yonhap News Agency