According to media outlet Biz Hankook on March 22 KST, BTS member Jungkook was recently a victim of identity theft. An unidentified perpetrator attempted to illegally seize approximately 8.44 billion KRW worth of HYBE stocks owned by Jungkook without consent, taking advantage of Jungkook's absence during his mandatory military service period.
The incident occurred on January 6, 2024, soon after Jungkook's enlistment for his mandatory military service. It's said that an unidentified perpetrator opened three securities accounts using Jungkook's name, then used them to transfer 33,500 shares of HYBE Labels stocks without Jungkook's knowledge. 33,000 of those shares (~ 8.3 billion KRW based on the closing price on January 5, 2024) were moved to a new securities account created under Jungkook's name, while 500 shares (~ 126 million KRW) were sold and transferred to a third party.
In March of 2024, Jungkook filed a lawsuit against the third party who purchased the 500 shares. In February of 2025, the Seoul Western District Court ordered the third party to return the shares to Jungkook, concluding, "There was no valid stock transfer agreement since the plaintiff was a victim of identity theft." Initially, the third party appealed the court's decision, but withdrew the appeal by March of 2025.
Meanwhile, the perpetrator who originally stole Jungkook's identity, using the information to seize and transfer the BTS member's stocks, has yet to be identified. Given that the perpetrator had access to Jungkook’s accounts, ID, bank passwords, and other financial information, there is speculation that someone close to him may have been involved.
Since learning of the incident, Big Hit Music has been active in minimizing the damages suffered by Jungkook. The idol's accounts were quickly frozen and restored to the original owner, preventing actual financial loss.
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