Lee Dong-chae
Lee Dong-chae is a South Korean businessman. The founder and largest shareholder of the company, he is among the richest people in South Korea. In December 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$1.7 billion and ranked the 16th richest person in the county.
Biography
Lee was born on December 10, 1959 in Pohang, South Korea as the second of eight children. He graduated from and Yeungnam University with a major in business administration. He worked at and Samsung Electronics, then became certified as a Certified Public Accountant. In 1998, he founded the predecessor to Eco Pro ; it changed names to Eco Pro in 2001. The company began trading battery precursors in 2004, and this arm of the business soon grew to become one of its most significant. In 2007, the company was listed on the KOSDAQ stock exchange.He stepped down as CEO of the company in March 2022 and made an advisor, amidst allegations of and investigations into his insider trading. On May 11, 2023, he was found guilty of insider trading valued at ₩1.1 billion, fined ₩2.2 billion and a surcharge of ₩1.1 billion, and sentenced to 15 months in prison. He appealed the verdict, but the Supreme Court rejected his appeal. After serving around half his sentence, he received a special pardon and was released from prison in August 2024. He then returned to his advisory role to the company.
In December 2024, months after his release from prison, Eco Pro began to be investigated for allegations of having a slush fund for the purpose of tax avoidance.