Hugo Hyungsoo Lee, the CEO of Haruinvest (Haru), a South Korean cryptocurrency-earning company, was attacked in court and stabbed multiple times in the neck. The attack happened on the 28th of August at the time when Mr. Lee, the CEO of Haru Invest, was on trial for his involvement in a scam that involved cryptocurrencies. Three senior executives of Haru Invest, including Mr. Lee, have been accused of embezzling about $826 million worth of cryptocurrency from 16,000 users.
The crime was committed during the eighth trial session of Mr. Lee’s fraud case at the Seoul Southern District Court. Mr. Lee, arrested in February 2024 for fraud under the Aggravated Punishment Act for Specific Economic Crimes, was granted bail in July. This incident occurred while the trial was still on, with Mr. Lee sitting on the chair which is reserved for the defendant when a member of the crowd assaulted him.
Haru Invest CEO Stabbed by Angry Victim, Attacker Arrested
The attacker was named Mr. Kang, a man in his 40s, who was also a victim of the Haru Invest incident and was able to conceal a short knife, about 5 cm in length, in the courtroom. Kang had been watching the trial, and he then attacked Mr. Lee and stabbed him in the neck several times. In the courtroom, the situation was chaotic as Mr. Lee fell and started bleeding.
Security arrangements for the courtroom immediately intervened to neutralize Kang and ensure that nobody was hurt further. There was blood on Mr. Lee’s shirt and the courtroom floor and the blood stains were circular about 30 cm in diameter. Police and other rescue teams were quick to arrive at the scene of the attack shortly after the incident happened. Mr. Lee required the immediate attention of a physician and had to be taken to the nearest hospital in an ambulance.
After the incident, officers of Seoul Yangcheon Police Station arrested Mr. Kang and started investigating the attack. The reason for the attack can be associated with the enormous FUD experienced by Haru Invest’s users, as by Mr. Kang.
