CEO of South Korean Crypto Firm Haru Invest stabbed during ongoing Fraud Trial

During a court hearing in Seoul, the CEO of a cryptocurrency company in South Korea suffered multiple stab wounds to his neck. The victim was reported to be Hugo Hyungsoo Lee, the CEO of Haru Invest.

As reported on August 28 by local news outlet Digital Asset, Lee was stabbed in the courtroom while he was being tried for fraud on Wednesday, a Seoul Southern District Court representative confirmed the report. The CEO was immediately taken to the emergency room after suffering four stab wounds to his neck and is reportedly in critical condition.

The incident occurred in the Seoul Southern District Court while Lee was seated at the defendant's bench. He was facing charges related to the operations suspension at Delio and Haru earlier this year.

The attacker, "Kang," carried out the attack with a concealed 5-centimeter knife. Kang, who had been watching the trial, sprang at Lee and repeatedly stabbed him in the neck. Courtroom security guards intervened to stop more injuries, and Kang was subdued right away. Kang, who is in his 40s, was reportedly detained by the Seoul police on suspicion of attempting murder.

Lee was found bleeding on the courtroom floor, and witnesses described the scene as chaotic. He was quickly taken to a nearby hospital by emergency medical services.

The attack coincides with a well-publicized probe into Haru Invest, which got underway after the platform stopped accepting deposits and withdrawals in June 2023. Lee and two other Haru executives were accused by the prosecution of deceiving about 16,000 investors in order to obtain unlawful profits totaling more than $1.04 billion. In February of this year, executives from Lee and Haru were allegedly detained but later freed on bail.

South Korean crypto custody firm Haru Invest provided cryptocurrency custody services for ether, bitcoin, USDT stablecoin, and other cryptocurrencies. Several local news sources stated that Haru Invest closed its office and stopped accepting withdrawals from its cryptocurrency custody service in June of last year, despite the company's initial promises to investors of a complete return of principal and interest of up to 16%.

Although the main concern for cryptocurrency owners used to be cyberattacks and hacks, there are now more physical attacks involving digital assets.

A 29-year-old foreigner who was reportedly in possession of Bitcoin (BTC) was abducted by four men in Kyiv, Ukraine, earlier in July. Before strangling him, the assailants made the victim transfer over 3 BTC worth approximately $200,000 at that time to their wallets. According to reports by the communications department of the National Police, four men, aged 24 to 29, have been arrested by Kyiv police for the abduction and murder of the foreign national.

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