The police have summoned independent lawmaker Lee Chunseok, who is under suspicion of nominee stock trading, for questioning as a suspect.
On August 14, the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced that Lee was being questioned at the Mapo office. Lee appeared before the police at 6:45 p.m. that day.
The police plan to question Lee on whether he engaged in nominee stock trading using an account under the name of his aide, Cha. Both Lee and aide Cha have been banned from leaving the country as key suspects on charges of violating the Real Name Financial Transactions Act and the Conflict of Interest Prevention Act. On August 4, Lee immediately left the Democratic Party after a photo of him trading stocks under Cha's name in the main hall of the National Assembly sparked controversy.
At that time, Lee was seen trading shares of Naver and LG CNS, both considered AI-related stocks. This fueled conflict of interest concerns, as Lee served as the head of the Economic Division 2, responsible for AI policy, in the National Policy Planning Committee. However, Lee has claimed that he "accidentally brought his aide's mobile phone into the main hall."
Separately from the current suspicion, the police are also investigating an incident on October 7, 2024, when Lee was caught on media cameras trading stocks through an account under Cha's name during a National Assembly Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee audit held at the Government Sejong Complex.
On August 7, the police formed a dedicated investigation team consisting of 25 members, led by Ahn Yongsik, head of the Financial Crime Investigation Unit, and including lawyers, accountants, and other experts in legal and financial tracking.
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