A South Korean man allegedly decided that spiking his business partner’s iced latte with a banned pesticide that can be fatal was the best way to settle an $816,000 crypto clash.
The Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office indicted the 39-year-old man on attempted murder charges after he allegedly poisoned his business partner with methomyl, a colorless, odorless, and devastatingly toxic pesticide, during a café meeting in Seoul’s Songpa District in November. A trial date is set for March 10 at the Seoul Eastern District Court.
The two men began working together in 2022, co-running Bitcoin investment programs. The relationship cracked when the accused secretly funnelled over 1.17 billion Korean won—roughly $816,000, including company funds—into a crypto investment that subsequently failed. His business partner seized control of the company’s finances, and tensions festered.
Prosecutors say the accused hatched a murder plot, driven by resentment over his partner’s rebukes and a desire to reclaim sole control of the company.
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The Poisoned Latte
The accused allegedly ordered methomyl from a Chinese online vendor for around $200. The pesticide was smuggled into South Korea through Incheon International Airport in a cargo delivery, as it has been banned domestically since 2015. On the day of the meeting, the accused arrived early, texted his partner asking what he wanted, then laced the ordered iced latte before handing it over.
The victim collapsed shortly after drinking it and spent three days in an induced coma. He survived, but the ordeal caused permanent harm. “I was about to get married, and my wife was in the early stages of pregnancy,” he told local media. “My family was almost completely destroyed.” He added that he continues to require medical treatment.
