Hacker Who Stole 8.4 Billion KRW From BTS’s Jungkook Gets Arrested

According to reports, the Korean authorities have arrested a hacker who stole over ₩8.40 billion KRW (about $6.00 million USD) from BTS member Jungkook.

BTS’s Jungkook | @bts_bighit/X

On August 22, KST, the Ministry of Justice announced that the hacker, a 34-year-old Chinese citizen identified as Mr. A, had been extradited from Bangkok, Thailand, to Seoul, Korea, thanks to the joint efforts of the Seoul Metropolitan Police and Interpol.

According to the police investigation, Mr. A was the leader of a hacking ring that operated across Thailand and other countries. Their modus operandi included breaching websites and telecom services to steal a vast amount of personal data, creating mobile phone accounts under victims’ names, and gaining access to financial institutions and virtual asset platforms. The syndicate has reportedly stolen over ₩38.0 billion KRW (about $27.1 million USD) from wealthy individuals and public figures in South Korea.

One of the victims of this hacking ring was Jungkook. According to reports, Jungkook’s securities accounts were compromised shortly after his military enlistment last year. The hackers transferred 33,5000 shares of HYBE stock worth ₩8.40 billion KRW (about $6.00 million USD), and out of that, 500 shares, worth ₩126 million KRW (about $90,000 USD), were sold to a third party.

BIGHIT MUSIC reportedly identified the suspicious activity swiftly and froze the remaining shares before further losses occurred. Jungkook later filed a civil lawsuit against the buyer of the stolen shares. The Seoul Western District Court ruled that the stock transfer was invalid, citing that Jungkook was a victim of identity theft, and ordered the stolen shares to be returned.

Jungkook, however, is not the sole high-profile victim of this syndicate. Some South Korean venture company CEOs and chaebol chairmen were also among the victims, making it one of the most sophisticated financial crimes in South Korea. The ring leader, Mr. A, was being hunted down by the Ministry of Justice, in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Interpol. In April this year, they received intelligence that he had entered Thailand and immediately requested emergency extradition detention from Thai authorities. Prosecutors and investigators were dispatched to Thailand immediately, and after four months of continuous negotiation with local authorities, Mr. A was extradited to South Korea.

Stay tuned for more updates!

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