Lawmakers Visited Las Vegas Game Expo

Testimonies were offered that two members of the Culture and Tourism Committee, Uri lawmaker Kim Jae-hong and GNP lawmaker Park Hyeong-jun, visited the booth of Andamiro, a gift certificate issuing company, at a gambling game exhibition in Las Vegas last September.

When the press reported their visit to the U.S. through the Video Game Business Association’s sponsorship, they explained they were “just making a short visit to L.A. for game industry observation.”

The two lawmakers’ visit to Las Vegas was confirmed on August 29 through testimonies by F2 System CEO Pak and Ace A&G CEO Kim, who guided them at the exhibition.

According to the witnesses, the two lawmakers arrived at Las Vegas on September 13 last year and looked around the Global Gaming Expo (G2E), a gambling game exhibition.

They stated that the two lawmakers visited the booth of Andamiro, which participated in the exhibition for the purpose of expanding its gambling game business after being selected as a gift certificate issuer.

CEO Pak said on the phone, “I don’t remember exactly who it was, but I received a call asking for the exhibition guide.”

CEO Kim said, “Andamiro was displaying its games for adults such as ‘Bingo’ in a 25 square meter booth, and the lawmakers looked around the booth for about ten minutes and talked to the local branch head.”

Some say the two lawmakers met with Andamiro CEO Kim Yong-hwan at the exhibition, but Andamiro denied it, saying, “Kim did not go to the U.S.”

It is not clear how lawmakers Kim and Park went to the U.S.

They said, “The Video Game Business Association sent the office of Culture and Tourism Committee chair an official request that the committee recommend lawmakers for a tour of the exhibition. The committee received applications.”

However, Uri lawmaker Lee Mi-kyeong, Culture and Tourism Committee chair at that time, said on August 28, “The association sent us an official note, but I did not tell the committee members about it.”

Uri lawmaker Woo Sang-ho, committee secretary at that time, also said, “The committee decides whom to dispatch through discussions between the ruling party and the opposition party secretaries. With regard to this exhibition, we didn’t receive any applications and there was no discussion. Lawmaker Park asked me to join them for the visit, but I refused.”