A major crime leader was arrested for stealing identities, including BTS's Jungkook, and illegally accessing funds totaling 38 billion won.
August/22/2025 16:40
The leader of a large-scale crime organization that misused the names of South Korean conglomerates, including BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan)'s Jungkook, has finally been arrested. Today (22nd), the South Korean Ministry of Justice revealed that they forcibly repatriated a 34-year-old Chinese national, Mr. A, who is a key figure in the crime organization that stole approximately 38 billion won (about 3.8 billion yen) through hacking the websites of mobile communication companies. From August 2023 to January of last year, Mr. A operated overseas, including in Thailand, and opened mobile phone lines in the names of victims. He committed crimes by moving deposits and other funds from the victims' bank and cryptocurrency accounts without permission. The list of victims included not only famous celebrities like Jungkook but also chairpersons of large corporations and South Korean conglomerates. Jungkook was victimized last January while he was in military service when three securities accounts were opened in his name without permission. A total of 33,500 shares of HYBE stock (about 8.3 billion won) were transferred to the relevant accounts. The perpetrator attempted to sell 500 shares (about 100 million won, about 1 million yen) to a person for profit, but the agency confirmed the damage and immediately applied for a payment halt, preventing any substantial loss. In relation to this, the agency BIGHIT MUSIC stated on March 22 to Newsen, "After recognizing the relevant criminal act, the company and artist immediately took measures to halt payments on the accounts and restore them, preventing any substantial damage. In addition to legal measures, we have also implemented security enhancements for the artist's personal information and related equipment to prevent recurrence." Jungkook filed a lawsuit for the return of the shares taken by a third party in March of last year. The Seoul Western District Court ruled in February of last year that "there was no transfer contract established for the shares, and Jungkook was recognized as a victim of identity theft," ordering the return of the shares to Jungkook.
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