[2020 National Audit] Kang Min-guk "Financial Services Commission gave special favors to Optimus"… Eun Sung-soo "Not true"

[Asia Economy Reporter Minji Lee] The Financial Services Commission (FSC) has been accused of providing special favors to Optimus Asset Management.

At the National Assembly's Political Affairs Committee audit on the 12th, Assemblyman Kang Min-guk revealed a recording of a conversation between Kim Jae-hyun, then CEO of Optimus in 2017, and an FSC official, claiming that "the FSC facilitated the post-approval application for the change of major shareholder of Optimus."

Eun Sung-soo, Chairman of the Financial Services Commission, attended the National Assembly's hearing on the 12th held by the Political Affairs Committee regarding the Financial Services Commission. After completing the witness oath, he is leaving to deliver a statement to Chairman Yoon Kwan-seok. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

According to the transcript, the FSC official said to CEO Kim, "Can you come by 5 p.m.? If you come to the first floor of the Government Seoul Office Civil Service Center and call me, I will come down and receive the documents." Assemblyman Kang criticized the FSC official for acting favorably.

At that time, Optimus was attempting to change its largest shareholder from former CEO Lee Hyuk-jin to former Nara Bank President Yang Ho. Under current law, when a financial company changes its major shareholder, it must obtain prior or post-approval from the FSC. Assemblyman Kang explained that former President Yang Ho and former Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Lee Heon-jae, who was an advisor to Optimus, were alumni of Kyunggi High School and had a "close relationship." The Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) Chairman at the time, Choi Heung-sik, was also an alumnus of Kyunggi High School with former Deputy Prime Minister Lee.

Assemblyman Kang pointed out, "How could an FSC manager personally go down to the first-floor civil service center to receive documents from a small asset management company? Even though Optimus was in a situation where it would have to close if its business was suspended, the financial authorities gave special favors to Optimus, which increased the amount of damage."

In response, FSC Chairman Eun Sung-soo said, "That is different from the manager I know. The manager does not personally receive documents," and added, "According to internal checks, the manager said he never received the documents, but it would be good to verify again."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.