CEO of Korean crypto firm Haru Invest stabbed during court hearing

The CEO of Haru Invest, a South Korean digital asset custody firm, was stabbed during a court hearing on Wednesday, a Seoul Southern District Court representative confirmed with The Block.

While the Seoul court representative declined to speak further on the details, local reports said the Haru CEO, only known by his last name, Lee, was stabbed in the neck four times and was quickly taken to the emergency room. Lee is in a “critical condition,” news agency News1 reported.

The Seoul police reportedly arrested a man in his 40s, believed to be an alleged victim of Haru Invest, on charges of attempted murder.

Haru Invest was a company that offered custody services for bitcoin, ether, USDT stablecoin and other cryptocurrencies. While the company initially promised investors a total return of principal and interest of up to 16%, multiple local news reports said Haru Invest  suspended withdrawals from its crypto custody service in June last year and closed its company office.

The Haru CEO was reportedly on trial for fraud. Prosecutors alleged that he and other Haru executives falsely lured around 16,000 investors to earn illegal profits of over $1.04 billion. Lee and Haru executives were reportedly arrested in February this year but released on bail.

According to local news outlet Chosun Ilbo, the court representative suggested that the attacker may have bypassed security by using a ceramic knife. The report said ceramic weapons can evade detection, unlike metal detectors commonly used in court security checkpoints.