According to an investigation officer at the department, records have been found showing Yongho, who traveled to Nepal for various purposes, visiting Nepal more than 50 times.
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An American citizen has been arrested on charges of soliciting donations using the name of a top leader of a Nepali political party. American citizen Yongho Lee was taken into custody by the Immigration Department in Kathmandu on Monday.
The department had launched an investigation into him after it was found that money was being collected on the website ‘NIColleges.edu.np’ he operated using the names of former prime ministers, former ministers, party leaders and businessmen. Immigration Department Director Tikaram Dhakal informed that further investigation has been initiated after taking Lee into custody.
Yongho has been coming and going to Nepal on various visas since 2011 and has been staying on a business visa since 2025, the department said. With the aim of raising funds internationally, he had mentioned national-level political leaders as ‘our dynamic team’ on the college website.
The department said that donations were collected on the website using the names of 13 people including former Prime Minister and UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli, Nepali Congress President and former Minister Gagan Thapa, former Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba, UML Secretary and former Minister Mahesh Basnet, Nepali Congress leader and industrialist Binod Chaudhary and others. In addition, it has been found that money was collected using the names of Nepali citizens involved in various professions and professions, saying ‘library, campus services and administrative team’.
According to the initial investigation, Yongho has been involved in spreading Christianity under the pretext of teaching subjects such as Korean studies, AI software, engineering, business studies. The department says that he established a company called ‘Comseed Nepal Pvt. Ltd.’ and carried out church planting activities under the same cover.
The investigation also revealed that he established ‘Yes in Him Church’ in New York in 2008 and expanded the church through an organization called ‘The Planter’ and announced plans to open a Korean language school in Nepal through the same Korean missionary organization. The department has stated that it has been found that a website has been created and promoted saying that ‘Nepal’s first Christian College’ will be opened in Sanepa, Lalitpur.
According to an investigation officer of the department, records have been found showing Yongho, who has traveled to Nepal for various purposes, visiting Nepal more than 50 times. Although the website of the college he runs claims to be ‘affiliated with Tribhuvan University and Pokhara University’, the department has stated that it has not been able to present any official evidence in this regard.
