A Seoul court has sentenced the leader of an international hacking group, who targeted BTS’ Jungkook and several wealthy individuals, to 20 years in prison for crimes totaling 38 billion won (about $27.4 million). The Seoul Central District Court found a Chinese citizen identified by the surname Jeon guilty of fraud and violations of South Korea’s Information and Communications Network Act. The court also said the suspect showed little remorse and rejected his claim that another person was the real leader of the organization.
[INFO] The ringleader of a hacking organization that stole assets worth approximately 38 billion won by targeting wealthy South Koreans, including Jungkook and the chairman of a major conglomerate, has been sentenced to a heavy prison term in the first trial.
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According to prosecutors, Jeon organized a hacking group that operated overseas, including in Thailand, from August 2023 to January 2025. The criminal group illegally obtained personal information from wealthy victims, including entertainment figures, major Korean business groups, and BTS’ Jungkook. The criminals then opened mobile phone accounts using the victims’ identities and attempted to access bank and cryptocurrency accounts.
“The group sought out wealthy individuals as targets and stole their assets,” the court said. “Unlike victims of typical voice phishing schemes, the victims in this case lost their assets while defenseless and through zero fault of their own.”
The hackers stole more than 38 billion won, while the total value of attempted transactions reached an estimated 64 billion won. In Jungkook’s case, hackers targeted Hybe shares worth approximately 8.4 billion won. His agency quickly detected the suspicious activity and stopped the transactions, preventing the BTS member from suffering any loss.
