Korean retail investors are furious about losing money! They tailed an “investment teacher” with knives and stabbed him multiple times—financial YouTube creators are all afraid for their safety

A man in his 40s who runs a YouTube channel for investment analysis in South Korea was stabbed multiple times in the face and body with a knife by a man in his 20s at around 8:09 a.m. on July 13 inside a commercial building in Nam-gu, Busan. After being taken to the hospital, he fortunately was not in danger of death.

The Busan South Police Agency arrested the suspect on attempted murder charges. It conducted an initial assessment that the two men were not acquainted and that the crime stemmed from a “grudge relationship.” According to a report by the North Korea Daily, the suspect was a subscriber to this channel. He believed the channel host’s analysis that “these stocks will rise,” made large investments, and ended up trapped and suffering losses. After finding out where the creator was located, he went to the creator’s residence with a knife.

(Background recap: Among 30 Korean adults, 1 has to pay margin-guarantee deposits! More than 1.2 million accounts liquidated—principal went to zero and they even ended up owing the broker.)

(Background add-on: South Korea’s stock market plunged more than 8% in a single day! KOSPI triggered the seventh circuit breaker for the year, with SK Hynix leading the decline at -13%)

Key highlights

• A Korean investment YouTuber was stabbed in the face by a man in his 20s—who was a subscriber—on July 13 in Busan, and after being taken to the hospital he was not in danger of death
• The suspect believed the channel’s stock picks and suffered heavy losses, developed resentment, hid a weapon and went to the victim’s place; about 2 hours later, police arrested him on attempted murder and prepared to seek detention
• The incident occurred at the peak of the market collapse, coinciding with the seventh circuit breaker of the year for Korean stocks and a crash in more than 1.2 million leveraged retail accounts

The sharp sell-off in Korean stocks over the previous days left many retail investors filled with resentment, even drawing attacks on so-called “investment teachers.” According to reports by Korean media including Kyunghyang News and KNN, on July 13 the Busan South Police Agency said that a man in his 20s was suspected of stabbing a man in his 40s who runs a YouTube channel with a weapon he had hidden on him, targeting the victim’s face and body, before fleeing. The incident occurred around 8:09 a.m. in Nam-gu, Busan. The victim resisted at the time, but he still suffered knife wounds to his face and other parts; fortunately, after being taken to the hospital, he was not in danger of death.

After committing the attack, the suspect hid in a hotel near the scene. Police traced him by following CCTV footage and, about 2 hours later at 10:07 a.m., urgently arrested him. Police filed the case as attempted murder and prepared to request detention. With everything from preparing the weapon in advance, to finding out where the victim was, to going to the victim’s place to attack early in the morning, it is difficult to argue it was an impulsive crime.

Buying stocks through the screen became the reason for the attack with a knife

The reason the attacker stabbed the YouTuber analyst was money. According to the North Korea Daily report, the suspect was a subscriber to this channel. He listened to the channel host’s analysis that “these stocks will rise,” put his money into the market, and then ended up trapped and suffering major losses. After developing resentment, he found out where the creator was located, brought a knife, and went to the creator’s place. Police also confirmed the two men were not acquainted with each other privately and are currently investigating how the suspect learned the victim’s location.

The most painful moment of the crash

South Korean stocks have recently gone through wild volatility. In mid-July, the Korean stock market had just triggered the seventh circuit breaker of the year. The KOSPI fell more than 8% in a single day, with memory giant SK Hynix leading the decline, down 13%.

Data from the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) also shows that in a short period of time, more than 1.2 million leveraged retail accounts triggered margin calls and top-up requirements. Tens of thousands of accounts were forced by brokers to liquidate in full. Many people saw their principal wiped out to zero, and some even ended up owing brokers money. When many retail investors put their entire stakes into semiconductor stocks using leverage, a market crash doesn’t just push them back into poverty overnight—it can also create social problems.

South Korea’s “주식 리딩방” (stock recommendation communities) and the culture of leading trades via YouTube have long histories. Free analysis is often merely a lure, gradually guiding viewers into paid memberships or specific target stocks. This script will be familiar to veteran players in crypto circles as well—whether it’s Telegram group signals, KOLs calling trades, or continuously giving “buy-the-dip signals.” Even if the stage changes, the story is almost identical. The only difference is that when someone seeks legal redress, they take out a knife.

So far, the police have not公開 the channel name, the exact amount of losses suffered by the victim, or which specific stocks the suspect traded; none of that is being disclosed. On the Korean internet, some people have pointed the finger at memory-related concept stocks that recently plunged, but this has not yet been confirmed by the police. Still, the incident has already attracted attention from South Korean personal-finance influencers, and many KOLs have specifically used the case to urge their followers to invest rationally.

What is certain is that when the market pushes retail investors’ leverage to the maximum, the reckoning from the crash isn’t only about accounts—it may also come for “investment teachers.”

Common questions

Why was a Korean investment YouTuber attacked with a knife by fans?

According to the North Korea Daily report, the suspect was a subscriber to the channel. He believed the channel host’s analysis that “these stocks will rise,” invested heavily, suffered major losses, developed resentment, found out where the other man was located, and went to carry out the attack with a knife. Police are investigating the case as attempted murder.

Is this attack related to the recent Korean stock market crash?

The incident happened around mid-July during the seventh circuit breaker for Korean stocks. SK Hynix led the decline at -13%, and it was also the time when more than 1.2 million leveraged retail accounts were liquidated. While there have been speculations online in South Korea, whether the target of the victim’s losses is directly related has not been confirmed by police.