SOURCE: 방탄소년단 정국도 당했다…380억 탈취 해킹범 총책 구속영장
The leader of a hacking organization that attempted to steal assets from Jungkook of BTS and other wealthy individuals in South Korea has been caught.
According to the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency on May 13, a 40-year-old Chinese national identified as A was extradited from Bangkok to Incheon International Airport earlier that morning. Police successfully brought him back with the cooperation of the Thai government.
Investigators found that between the second half of 2023 and the first half of 2024, A operated overseas bases in locations including Thailand and opened mobile phone accounts under victims' names. Working with other leaders of the criminal organization, A allegedly hacked government and public institution websites to steal personal information from the victims. Using the stolen information, A illegally transferred deposits and assets from victims' bank and virtual asset accounts, stealing around 38 billion KRW in total.
The Ministry of Justice stated that confirmed victims included celebrities such as Jungkook, as well as wealthy individuals including chaebol chairmen and venture company CEOs. Most victims were either serving in the military or imprisoned at the time.
In Jungkook's case, three securities accounts were illegally opened under his name in January 2024 while he was serving in the military. A total of 33,500 HYBE shares worth around 8.3 billion KRW were transferred into these accounts. A attempted to sell 500 shares worth around 126 million KRW to a third party. However, BigHit Music immediately took protective measures after discovering the incident, including freezing the accounts, preventing any actual financial losses.
Regarding this, BigHit Music, told Newsen on March 22 last year, "As soon as we became aware of the criminal act, we took measures such as freezing the accounts and restoring them to their original state to prevent substantial damage. Separate from legal action, we also strengthened security measures for the artist's personal infrmation and devices to prevent recurrence."
In March 2024, Jungkook filed a lawsuit seeking the return of the 500 shares purchased by the third party and won the case.
Police stated that due to the case's significant social impact, they plan to continue a strict investigation. After questioning A and analyzing seized evidence, authorities are expected to request a formal arrest warrant.
Before A's extradition, the Ministry of Justice had already forcibly extradited another Chinese national identified as B (35), another alleged mastermind behind the case, from Bangkok in August last year. B was indicted and detained in September 2025, and is currently on trial.
