Chinese national gets 20 years for hacking accounts of BTS' Jungkook, others

A Chinese man, surnamed Chun, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison by a Seoul court for orchestrating a hacking scheme that targeted K-pop star Jungkook and South Korean business executives. The court's ruling came down on charges of fraud and violating the information network act, stemming from the theft of over 38 billion won (US$27.2 million) from the victims.

Chun allegedly targeted wealthy individuals and stole their assets, despite their innocence, unlike instances of voice phishing scams. The court noted that Chun showed no genuine remorse for his actions. Prosecutors charged Chun with gathering personal information as part of an overseas criminal network, including in Thailand, between August 2023 and January 2025.

The investigation revealed that targets included Jungkook and a prominent business tycoon of a major conglomerate. However, sources claimed the hacking group tried to pilfer 8.4 billion won worth of Jungkook's shares in HYBE, the parent company of BTS's agency, BigHit Music. The agency swiftly acted to avert any losses.