4 days
CBS
According to Nocut News coverage, the Jeju Police Agency booked Lee Cheon-soo on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (fraud). Last month, a complaint alleging fraud was filed against Mr. Lee at the Jeju Seogwipo Police Station, and the case was transferred to the Jeju Office.
The accuser is Mr. A, a long-time acquaintance of Mr. Lee. It is said that they had always been on good terms with each other, but their relationship became strained due to issues related to finances. Seogwipo Police Station summoned Mr. A on the 25th of last month before transferring the case to Jeju Office and conducted an investigation into the complainant.
According to the complaint, Mr. Lee asked Mr. A to borrow living expenses in November 2018. At the time, Mr. Lee said, “I don’t have any income right now, so please lend me living expenses,” and promised, “I plan to run a YouTube channel and a soccer class within a few years, so I will repay you in full by at least the end of 2023.”
Mr. A, who was a close friend of Mr. Lee, said that he sent money to Mr. Lee several times because Mr. Lee promised to repay. Mr. A transferred 132 million won to Lee’s spouse’s account nine times for living expenses and other reasons until April 2, 2021, including 3 million won sent on the day the request was first received through an acquaintance.
However, Mr. A claims that Mr. Lee stopped contacting him around the fall of 2021. In his complaint, Mr. A said that Mr. Lee did not repay even a penny of the amount until the end of 2023, as promised. In fact, Mr. A’s position is that although Mr. Lee opened his own YouTube channel and earned income by running a soccer class in Jeju Island, Mr. A’s rental money is not being returned.
The indictment also included allegations that Mr. Lee encouraged Mr. A to invest in a ‘foreign exchange futures trading site’ and stole hundreds of millions of won worth of investment funds. Mr. A wrote in the complaint that around April 2021, Lee Cheon-soo said, “My younger brother B, whom I know well, is running a foreign exchange futures trading site. When I visited his office, he was making steady profits.” He added, “If you trust me and invest 500 million won (to my younger brother), I will distribute the profits every month and return the principal if you want it back.”
Mr. A reportedly transferred a total of 500 million won to Mr. B, but did not receive the full amount back. It is said that Mr. B paid the money for about 1-2 months in the name of profits, but then stopped, and when Mr. A requested a return, he only returned a portion (160 million won). Mr. A received a confession from Mr. B stating that he had promised to return the loan but did not fulfill it, and attached it to the complaint along with the account transfer details.
Mr. Lee’s side
In a phone call with Nocut News, he said, “It is true that he received money from the other party,” but “Mr. A was making a lot of money at the time, so it was just money he gave (to Mr. Lee) to use.” “There is a fact that money was received, but for a charge of fraud to be established, there must be an intention to deceive,” he said. “Because there was no such intention at all, the claim of fraud is not true.” Mr. Lee’s side added, “Mr. A is willing to return the money.” Next, regarding the recommendation to invest in a foreign exchange futures trading site, he said, “It is completely unfounded,” and “I have never introduced you or recommended you to invest.”
Mr. Lee participated in the 2002 World Cup as a member of the national team and played a leading role in the ‘semi-finals’, rising to the ranks of star players. After retiring in 2015, Lee worked as a soccer administrator and then turned to a broadcaster. He currently runs the YouTube channel ‘Lee Chun-su’, which has 780,000 subscribers.
https://n.news.naver.com/article/079/0004082010