Former South Korean soccer star Lee Chun Soo, 44, now a popular YouTuber with more than 780,000 subscribers, is facing fraud allegations involving hundreds of thousands of dollars.
According to a November 4 report by CBS No Cut News, the Jeju Police Agency recently charged Lee with violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes (Fraud).
The complaint alleges that in November 2018, Lee approached a long-time friend, identified only as A, and requested a loan for living expenses.
Lee reportedly told A, “I don’t have any significant income at the moment. If you lend me money for living expenses, I’ll repay you by the end of 2023. I plan to launch a YouTube channel and open a soccer academy within a few years.”
A claims to have transferred a total of approximately USD 99,000 to Lee on nine separate occasions between 2018 and April 2021, ostensibly for living expenses. However, A alleges that Lee cut off contact around the fall of 2021 and has failed to repay any of the money by the promised deadline of late 2023.
A further claims that despite Lee’s success with his YouTube channel and soccer academy in Jeju, he has not returned the borrowed funds. The complaint also accuses Lee of persuading A to invest hundreds of millions of won in a foreign exchange futures trading site, allegedly defrauding him in the process.
In response, Lee’s representatives acknowledged receiving money from A but denied any fraudulent intent, saying, “The funds were given voluntarily when A was financially well-off. He even told Lee to use it freely.”
They added, “For fraud charges to apply, there must be intent to deceive. There was absolutely no such intent, so the accusation is baseless.” The representatives also stated that Lee is willing to repay A.
Regarding the foreign exchange investment claim, Lee’s side flatly denied the allegation, saying, “This is completely false. There was no introduction or solicitation related to investment.”
Lee Chun Soo rose to fame as a key player in South Korea’s historic fourth-place finish at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.
After retiring from professional soccer in 2015, he transitioned into broadcasting and sports management and now runs the popular YouTube channel “Lee Chun Soo,” which boasts over 780,000 subscribers.
