[Exclusive] BTS Jungkook, Hybe stocks stolen through identity theft while serving in the military

Court: “Transactions made using false names are invalid”… Jungkook receives 500 shares of Hive stocks returned

[Biz Korea] It has been confirmed by Biz Korea that there was an attempt to illegally steal 8.44 billion won worth of Hybe stock owned by Jungkook (real name Jeon Jungkook), a member of the world-famous idol group BTS. The 'thief' took advantage of Jungkook's military service to transfer 33,500 shares of Hybe stock owned by him to a new account, and sold 500 of them to a third party. 

The incident occurred on January 6, 2024, while Jungkook was receiving basic training after enlisting. It was revealed that the thief had opened three securities accounts in Jungkook's name without his consent and had used them to move and sell stocks without his permission.

The total number of Hive shares that the hijacker transferred without Jungkook’s consent is 33,500. The hijacker transferred 33,000 shares of Hive (8.316 billion won based on the closing price on January 5) of Jungkook’s shares to Jungkook’s new securities account, and sold and transferred 500 shares (126 million won) to a third party. 

Accordingly, in March 2024, Jeong-guk filed a civil suit against a third party who purchased 500 shares, demanding the return of the shares. In February 2025, the Seoul Western District Court ruled that “there was no contract for the transfer of shares, and Jeong-guk was not a victim of identity theft,” and that “the third party must return the shares to Jeong-guk.” The third party argued for bona fide acquisition (a principle that protects when a transaction is made in the belief that one has a legally legitimate right), but the court did not accept it. The court pointed out that “it cannot be said that there was no gross negligence in proceeding with the transaction without verifying the name of the person concerned after only hearing that the shares in question were those of a major shareholder.” 

At that time, a third party purchased 500 shares from the thief and sent 20,000 USDT (Tether) in cryptocurrency in advance. The third party appealed, but the ruling was finalized in March 2025 when the appeal was filed.

However, the real culprit who hijacked Jeongguk's account has not been found. Considering that Jeongguk's account, ID, bank password, and other financial information were all known, it is possible that an acquaintance was involved. A securities firm official said, "It seems that they were aware of all of Jeongguk's financial information. There were also attempts to transfer cash in addition to stocks." 

Jungkook’s agency Big Hit Music is also aware of the situation and is responding together. Big Hit Music stated, “As soon as the company and the artist became aware of the criminal act, we immediately took measures to stop payments to the account and restore it to its original state, thereby preventing any actual damage. In addition to legal action, we also prepared measures to strengthen the security of the artist’s personal information and device-related information to prevent a recurrence.” 

https://www.bizhankook.com/bk/article/29276