Hugo Hyungsoo Lee, the CEO of South Korean crypto firm Haru Invest was stabbed in the neck four times during a court hearing in Seoul on Wednesday.
According to allegations, three executives of the company stole 1.1 trillion won [~$828 million] in crypto assets from around 16,000 users. The attacker — a man in his 50s — was reportedly one of the victims of Haru Invest.
He jumped up from the guest seat and tried stabbing Lee — who was on trial for fraud — in the neck with a small knife. The executive was rushed to the hospital at once.
His injuries, however, were not life-threatening. Police reportedly revealed that they have arrested the assailant and are investigating his motives.
According to court representatives, the attacker might have circumvented security by using a ceramic knife.
Another local media report pointed out that the effectiveness of court security is usually compromised by ceramic weapons, which standard metal detectors fail to red flag.
According to the prosecutors, Haru Invest executives misappropriated most of the customer asset deposits by reinvesting them. This was done from March 2020 to June 2023.
The executives allegedly misadvertised that the firm was operating a stable business using “risk-free diversified investment techniques.”
Specifically, the firm offered custody services for BTC, ETH, USDT, and other crypto assets. Executives gave a word to investors that they'd fetch them an interest rate of up to 16%.
The firm halted withdrawals and deposits in June last year and asserted that there were issues with its service partners. Around the same time, it also dismissed around 100 staff.
Earlier this year, in February, prosecutors arrested three people including Haru Invest’s CEO and two other executives. Lee was, however, released on bail in July, ahead of the trial.
