A Chinese national has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in South Korea after being convicted of leading an international hacking operation that targeted wealthy individuals, including BTS member Jungkook, in a scheme linked to more than 38 billion won (around ₱1.6 billion or US$27.2 million) in stolen assets.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the sentence on August 20, finding the man, identified by his surname as Chun in several English-language reports, guilty of fraud and violations of South Korea’s information network law. The court said the victims were deliberately selected because of their wealth and were left vulnerable to having their assets taken without fault on their part.
Jungkook’s HYBE shares were among the targets
The case drew widespread attention because BTS’ Jungkook was among the people targeted by the hacking operation.
Investigators found that the group attempted to transfer approximately 8.4 billion won worth of Jungkook’s shares in HYBE, the entertainment company behind BTS’ agency BigHit Music.
However, Jungkook ultimately did not suffer a financial loss.
According to reports, his agency detected the suspicious activity and acted quickly, including blocking the transactions, preventing the attempted theft from being completed.
How the hacking operation allegedly worked
Authorities said the criminal organization operated overseas, including in Thailand, and collected victims’ personal, financial and authentication information between August 2023 and January 2025.
The group allegedly used stolen information to activate mobile phone accounts under victims’ names. Those unauthorized phone accounts could then be used to gain access to financial accounts and other authentication systems.
Seoul Economic Daily reported that investigators found the group had obtained sensitive information belonging to 258 people from several websites and services. The criminals reportedly used this information to identify wealthy targets and then exploit weaknesses in mobile and financial authentication systems.
The targets reportedly included company executives, entertainers, influencers, cryptocurrency investors and other affluent individuals. Jungkook was among the celebrity targets, while another target was a senior figure connected to one of South Korea’s major conglomerates.
More than ₱1.6 billion was stolen
Yonhap reported that the operation was linked to the theft of more than 38 billion won, equivalent to roughly US$27.2 million.
The Straits Times reported that when attempted transactions that were ultimately blocked are also considered, the total amount involved in the wider operation was estimated at 64 billion won. That figure includes transactions where losses were prevented, meaning it should not be confused with the more than 38 billion won that was actually stolen.
This distinction is important because Jungkook’s case involved an attempted transfer that was stopped before the BTS star suffered a financial loss.
Why the court imposed a 20-year sentence
The Seoul Central District Court described the case as particularly serious because the victims were specifically selected based on their wealth and were allegedly vulnerable to unauthorized phone activations and account takeovers.
The court also said Chun had not shown genuine remorse for the crimes.
The sentence followed an international investigation. Authorities had previously tracked Chun to Thailand, where he was arrested with the cooperation of Thai authorities and Interpol before being transferred to South Korea to face prosecution.
The case highlights how stolen personal information, SIM or mobile-account manipulation and weaknesses in authentication systems can be combined to gain access to high-value financial assets.
For Jungkook, however, the attempted theft ended differently: the suspicious activity was detected in time, and the targeted HYBE shares were protected before the transaction could cause him financial harm.
What makes the case particularly alarming?
The operation was not simply an attempt to steal money from random online victims. Investigators say the group profiled wealthy individuals first, gathered sensitive personal information and then used that information to target their financial assets.
That strategy reportedly extended beyond Jungkook to business leaders, entertainers and cryptocurrency investors—showing the scale and organization of the alleged cybercrime network.
The case is now drawing renewed attention because of the involvement of one of the world’s biggest K-pop stars, but authorities’ findings indicate that Jungkook was one of several high-value targets rather than the sole focus of the operation.
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