Photo by Yonhap News

Photo by Yonhap News

View original image


[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] Amid ongoing political disputes over the Optimus scandal, which caused damage worth trillions of won, a victim of the Optimus scandal emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into the various issues and suspicions raised by the media and during the National Assembly audit.


Victim A of the Optimus scandal stated in an interview with KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 19th, "How can investors be held responsible for a fraudulent fund? Regardless of the essence, the Financial Supervisory Service must strongly be urged to make decisions strictly according to laws and regulations," emphasizing this point.


A said, "At the time of subscription, it was presented as a product perfectly suitable for elderly people and others as a low-risk, low-return product. When listening to the explanation, one would think the principal was virtually guaranteed," and questioned, "Isn't it inevitable to rely solely on the explanations and information provided by the sellers?"


He continued, "Most of the victims are elderly. They lost their precious retirement funds, and some even lost all their assets left after their husband's death," explaining the damage situation. "In the case of corporations, there were payments for goods and social labor welfare funds used for employee welfare that were also lost."


He added, "The victims are not only aggrieved by the damage but are also being cornered into preparing lawsuits."


A emphasized that investors who are victims should not be held responsible in this case. He said, "Usually, in fund investments, investors are held responsible for investment losses, but that applies only when the product is intact and normal. In the case of Optimus, it did not even exist from the beginning. How can investors be held responsible for a fraudulent fund?"


He pointed out, "Not to mention NH Securities as the seller, Hana Bank, a leading commercial bank, also purchased bad bonds, the Korea Securities Depository, a national public institution, changed the fund's name to a public institution bond, and the Financial Supervisory Service cannot claim to be free of responsibility. If even one of these four institutions had functioned properly, this fund fraud could have been prevented."



He added, "We will focus on the Financial Supervisory Service's dispute resolution plan. We want a thorough investigation into the various issues and suspicions. Appropriate compensation should be made depending on the presence or absence of responsibility."


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

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.

Today’s Briefing