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Manila Bulletin devider World devider Hacking ring leader jailed for $29 million theft; victims include BTS Jungkook

Hacking ring leader jailed for $29 million theft; victims include BTS Jungkook

Published Aug 25, 2025 11:52 am
By Hankook Ilbo
A Chinese national accused of leading a hacking ring that stole more than 38 billion won ($29 million) from wealthy victims, including BTS member Jungkook, has been formally arrested in Korea.
A Chinese national accused of leading a hacking ring that stole assets from BTS’s Jungkook and other wealthy figures in Korea, appears for a pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, Sunday. (Yonhap)
A Chinese national accused of leading a hacking ring that stole assets from BTS’s Jungkook and other wealthy figures in Korea, appears for a pretrial detention hearing at the Seoul Central District Court in Seocho District, Seoul, Sunday. (Yonhap)
Cho Young-min, a judge at the Seoul Central District Court, issued an arrest warrant on Aug. 24 for the suspect, identified by his surname Jeon, 34, on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act and the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes. The court cited concerns that he might destroy evidence or flee.
Jeon appeared at the court at around 1:15 p.m. for a pretrial detention hearing but remained silent when reporters asked whether he admitted to the charges or planned to compensate victims.
According to police and the Ministry of Justice, Jeon organized a hacking ring overseas between August 2023 and January 2024, targeting Korean telecom company websites to steal personal data.
Using this information, the group opened mobile phone accounts under victims’ names and accessed their bank and cryptocurrency accounts, siphoning off assets worth more than 38 billion won.
Victims included BTS’s Jungkook, a major conglomerate chairman and venture business leaders.
Authorities tracked Jeon in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Interpol. After learning he had entered Thailand in April, the ministry requested an emergency arrest warrant from Thai authorities and secured his custody. He was extradited to Korea on Aug. 22, four months later.
Police said they plan to further question Jeon about possible additional crimes while analyzing seized evidence.
(This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.)

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