South Korean police summon Bithumb chairman for alleged fraud

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has reportedly summoned Lee Jung Hoon, the chairman of Bithumb, for alleged fraud.

South Korea's state-run news agency Yonhap reported Friday, saying that Lee, 44, is under investigation by the police. Lee is accused of pre-selling Bithumb's native BXA tokens worth about 30 billion won (~$25 million) to investors and then not listing the token, which has allegedly led to investors' losses.

THE SCOOP

Keep up with the latest news, trends, charts and views on crypto and DeFi with a new biweekly newsletter from The Block's Frank Chaparro

By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
By signing-up you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Bithumb once issued BXA tokens concerning its acquisition by Singapore based BK Group, but that deal didn't materialize. Lee is also charged with evading property abroad.

BK Group chairman Kim Byung-Gun, 57, is also accused of the alleged fraud, but he is reportedly not under police investigation.

The summon follows two police raids on Bithumb in recent weeks. On Wednesday, the Seoul Central District Court is said to have also seized Kim's shares in Bithumb. Accounting giant Samjong KPMG reportedly oversaw the seizure.

About Author

Yogita Khatri is a senior reporter at The Block, covering all things crypto. As one of the earliest team members, Yogita has played a pivotal role in breaking numerous stories, exclusives and scoops. With nearly 3,000 articles under her belt, Yogita holds the records as The Block's most-published and most-read author of all time. Prior to joining The Block, Yogita worked at crypto publication CoinDesk and The Economic Times, where she wrote on personal finance. To contact her, email: [email protected]. For her latest work, follow her on X @Yogita_Khatri5.