Former Optimus CEO Lee Hyuk-jin: "Not Linked to the Regime... The Worst Financial Fraud Since Dangun"

"Mopia (former economic officials), Beopbi (legal technicians), and scammers meet to cause incidents"

Optimus fraud case related material screen / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Lee Hyuk-jin, former CEO of Optimus Asset Management currently residing in the United States, claimed regarding the "Optimus fraud case," "It should be seen as a fundamental fund fraud case. It is the worst financial fraud case that occurred when Mofia (former economic officials) and Beopbi (legal technicians) met with swindlers."

In an interview with CBS Radio's "Kim Hyun-jung's News Show" on the 19th, Lee said, "There was a corporate management dispute, but this situation should be viewed in a larger frame," adding, "It should be understood as a cunning trick by swindlers trying to distort the essence by focusing on my past history or personal connections. It is not linked to the administration or anything like that."

He emphasized, "This is the worst financial fraud case since Dangun and the worst since the Jang Young-ja case," and said, "Testimony in court is absolutely necessary now. I believe at least 20 to 40 people should face legal judgment in this case."

Lee stated, "Even simple investors who invested because PBs (private bankers) said it was safe are being misled as being involved with Optimus. They are deceiving the public with cunning tricks to obscure the essence," and claimed, "It is a joint work of CEO Kim Jae-hyun, former Nara Bank President Yang Ho, and former Optimus Alternative Investment CEO Jeong Young-je."

He added, "Personally, I think this is a fight against an administration trying to incapacitate the Republic of Korea government. I don't know exactly what a single Blue House administrator did, but former Blue House administrator Lee Jin-ah's actions were personal deviations, not administration-level issues," and said, "Misleading this as an administration problem is a misdirection by the media and merely the acts of simple swindlers."

Regarding the claim that he left the country accompanying President Moon Jae-in on a state visit to Vietnam, he explained, "I have never been contacted by the prosecution even once," and said, "A shareholders' meeting was held on March 21, 2018. The court finally approved the temporary shareholders' meeting, so I persuaded many shareholders and attended the meeting."

He continued, "At the shareholders' meeting, I protested to Kim Jae-hyun who was conducting the meeting, but gangsters were mobilized at the meeting, and I was eventually kicked out within 30 minutes," adding, "After being kicked out, while consulting with those who accompanied me, I saw the news that the President was visiting Vietnam. Hearing that the Financial Services Commission Chairman Choi Jong-gu and Minister of Science and ICT Yoo Young-min were accompanying, I followed them without hesitation."

Regarding why he did not return to Korea, he stated, "My family is in the United States, so I returned home," and clarified, "At that time, I was preparing to start anew in the United States, so I returned home, but it was not an escape."

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