What charges is Koo Bon-hyun facing after his return from Cambodia?

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency is investigating Koo on suspicion of violating the Capital Markets Act, embezzlement and breach of trust. The alleged stock manipulation involved disclosing false information about a company he had acquired without capital.

How much money is Koo Bon-hyun accused of making and embezzling?

Police suspect Koo made illegal profits of 14.5 billion won, or $10.9 million, through false disclosures about the company. He is separately accused of embezzling 4.6 billion won from the firm, including for entertainment expenses.

LG family scion repatriated from Cambodia after 8 years on the run

Listen

Summary

Koo Bon-hyun, a member of the family that founded LG Group, was repatriated from Cambodia to Korea this week and detained upon arrival Monday for investigation into alleged stock manipulation, embezzlement and breach of trust. He had left Korea in 2018 and was apprehended by Cambodian police in September. He was formally arrested Wednesday under a court-issued warrant.

Key Facts

Police suspect Koo made illegal profits of 14.5 billion won by disclosing false information about a KOSDAQ-listed company he had acquired without capital.
He is also accused of embezzling 4.6 billion won from the company, including for entertainment expenses.
Police obtained a detention warrant for Koo in 2019 and requested an Interpol Red Notice.
Koo received a finalized three-year prison sentence in 2012 in a separate stock manipulation case.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 13, 2026 3:07 pm KST

An Interpol logo / Reuters

A member of the family that founded conglomerate LG Group has been repatriated from Cambodia eight years after leaving Korea to escape an investigation into stock manipulation charges, police said Friday.

Koo Bon-hyun, a nephew of the late LG Group honorary chairman Koo Cha-kyung, was detained upon arriving in the country Monday to undergo an investigation on suspicion of violating the Capital Markets Act, embezzlement and breach of trust, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

The 57-year-old left for the Netherlands in 2018 amid suspicions that he made illegal profits of 14.5 billion won ($10.9 million) by disclosing false information about a KOSDAQ-listed company he had acquired without capital.

He is also accused of embezzling 4.6 billion won from the firm, including for entertainment expenses.

Police obtained a detention warrant for Koo in 2019 and requested that Interpol issue a Red Notice for him. Cambodian police apprehended him in September and repatriated him back to Korea this week. He was formally arrested Wednesday under a court-issued warrant.

In 2012, Koo received a finalized sentence of three years in prison in a separate stock manipulation case.

Explore More