World

South Korean man sentenced to 20 years in prison for hacking BTS singer Jungkook's account

A South Korean man who tried to hack into BTS member Jungkook's account has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, Yonhap news agency reported.

A Seoul court has sentenced a man who tried to hack into BTS member Jungkook's account and steal his shares. The perpetrator, a Chinese national surnamed Chun, led a criminal group that hacked into the accounts of celebrities and businessmen.

The group's activities resulted in a total of $27.2 million in stolen funds from the victims. They operated from August 2023 to January 2025, mainly in foreign countries such as Thailand. The criminals collected personal information about the victims and registered mobile phone numbers in their names. After that, they tried to embezzle the funds and other assets in the victims' accounts.

During the investigation, it was revealed that Jungkook and a business magnate from one of the large conglomerates were among the victims. The fraudsters tried to steal $5.9 million worth of shares of HYBE label from the singer's account. However, the company blocked the suspicious transaction, preventing the illegal withdrawal of funds.

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