The alleged leader of an international hacking ring that targeted BTS member Jungkook and other wealthy individuals has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in South Korea.
The Seoul Central District Court handed down the first-instance sentence on August 20th to a Chinese national identified only as “A,” who was charged with fraud and violations of South Korea’s information network laws.
Prosecutors said the group specifically sought out wealthy victims and stole personal information to gain access to their financial accounts. According to the court, victims were left particularly vulnerable because, unlike in typical voice-phishing cases, they had not knowingly provided information or taken actions that contributed to the theft.
Authorities said A organized the hacking operation overseas, including in Thailand, and illegally collected victims’ personal information between August 2023 and January 2025. The group allegedly opened unauthorized mobile phone accounts in victims’ names and used them to access financial accounts, stealing roughly 38 billion won in total.
Jungkook was among those targeted.
Shortly after he enlisted in the military, his brokerage account was reportedly compromised through identity theft, allowing approximately 8.4 billion won (around $6 million) worth of HYBE shares to be transferred out of the account.
Authorities reportedly froze the transaction quickly enough to prevent Jungkook from suffering an actual financial loss.
The hacking ring also targeted major corporate executives and allegedly attempted cyberattacks against public institutions and related organizations.
Police arrested A in Thailand in May 2025 with assistance from Interpol. He was extradited to South Korea that August and formally detained and indicted the following month.
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