Lee Bok-hyun, head of the Financial Supervisory Service, was confirmed to have left work early on the 3rd, the day when a state of emergency was declared. In response, the opposition raised suspicions, asking, "Did you know about the emergency in advance?" Lee clarified, saying, "There were personal circumstances. I learned about the emergency around 11 p.m. that night."
During the meeting of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee on the 18th, Lee responded to a question from Min Byung-deok, a member of the Democratic Party, who asked, "You had a meeting with the deputy director of the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority of Germany on the day of the emergency, but did you cancel it and go into hiding? Did you know about the emergency in advance?" Lee replied, "No."
In response to a question from Park Sang-hyuk, a member of the Democratic Party, asking, "Aren't you close with President Yoon Seok-yeol? What were your thoughts on the day of the emergency?" Lee said, "I was very surprised. I thought we had to quickly get the chairperson of the Financial Services Commission involved and take corrective action as soon as possible." He added, "At that time, I was focused on how to respond, and looking back, I think this was an event that should not have happened in any case."
The reason the opposition continues to question Lee about whether he had prior knowledge of the emergency is because of his close ties with President Yoon. Lee is regarded as a key figure in Yoon’s circle and is referred to as the president’s "economic confidant." A former prosecutor, Lee has worked closely with Yoon on several investigations. President Yoon appointed Lee, who had no prior experience in the financial sector, as head of the Financial Supervisory Service just a month after taking office in May 2022.
Kim Byeong-hwan, chairperson of the Financial Services Commission, said, "I learned about it from watching the news," adding that he was not notified to attend the Cabinet meeting held just before the declaration of the emergency. He noted, "I had no voting rights at the meeting, only speaking rights," and said, "I think only Cabinet members participated since a vote was needed."
Kim said, "I was very surprised because it was an unexpected measure and was initially worried about the market," adding, "I was notified shortly after seeing the report, around 10:50 p.m., that an emergency macroeconomic and financial issues meeting (F4 meeting) was going to be held. I drove from my house near Yeonhui-dong to attend."