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| Luna founder Do Kwon, right, speaks with Unchained Podcast host Laura Shin during an online interview, Oct. 18. Screenshot from Unchained Podcast's YouTube channel |
By Lee Min-hyung
Do Kwon, co-founder of Terraform Labs, is being met with a deluge of criticism for declining to confirm his whereabouts even after making apologies for the recent Luna coin debacle.
Earlier, Kwon argued he is not "on the run" or evading investigation by the police, though it has turned out he left Singapore and headed for Dubai in September. He did not enter the United Arab Emirates city, but instead stayed there briefly before transiting to another country. It remains unknown where his next or final destination was.
The investigation authorities here requested cooperation from neighboring countries to identify his specific whereabouts.
Kwon expressed his apologies to investors in the ill-fated Terra-Luna ecosystem, saying that he is to blame for the fiasco. Previously, he had not made a sincere apology after the collapse of the once-promising crypto ecosystem, only leaving some sarcastic comments about the authorities and investors who doubted the ecosystem.
"Whatever issues existed in Terra's design, its weakness to the cruelty of the markets, it's my responsibility alone," he told host Laura Shin on the Unchained Podcast interview.
But the public ire did not show any signs of mitigation even after he apologized, as Kwon continues to keep his location hidden. Up until recently, Kwon reiterated his willingness to cooperate sincerely with any investigation by the authorities, but ended up breaking the promise again by becoming a fugitive whose passport will soon be invalidated.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kwon's passport will no longer be valid after Nov. 2. He was ordered to return his passport on Oct. 5, but did not respond. If he does not surrender his passport within the next two weeks, he will become an illegal alien no matter which country he is in.
"It's not in the interest of being on the run," he said. "I don't want to disclose where I live. It's just that every time the location where I live becomes known, it becomes almost impossible for me to live there."
An Interpol Red Notice has been issued for Kwon, making him a fugitive in almost 200 countries across the globe.
He is unlikely to make any public appearance on his own due to safety concerns. He said he has been threatened on many occasions after the meltdown of the Terra-Luna cryptocurrencies in May. He is currently only using online channels for communication.
