The Chinese ringleader of a hacking organization that stole or attempted to siphon off assets worth about 38 billion won by stealing personal information from domestic tycoons, including BTS member Jeongguk, was additionally extradited to Korea today (the 13th). The police said they plan to apply for an arrest warrant for the suspect.
The Ministry of Justice and the Korean National Police Agency said on the 13th, "We additionally extradited A, a Chinese national (40), a ringleader-level criminal of a hacking organization that hacked multiple websites and siphoned off more than 38 billion won from financial accounts and virtual asset accounts, from Bangkok, Thailand to Incheon International Airport this morning," they said.
A organized a hacking crime group in Thailand and elsewhere and, from August 2023 to April last year, committed crimes such as withdrawing large sums without authorization from victims' accounts using personal information obtained through illegal hacking. A and his accomplices are reported to have checked the account balances of domestic tycoons and mainly withdrew deposits and virtual assets from those who were in prison or in the military.
Targets included a domestic company chairman who was incarcerated, as well as entertainers, athletes and tycoons who were staying overseas or serving in the military.
In particular, A and his accomplices are also known to have committed crimes of stealing stocks after hacking, targeting BTS member Jeongguk. When Jeongguk was undergoing basic training after enlisting in 2024, a total of 33,500 HYBE shares (about 8.4 billion won) were moved to an account that had been opened without authorization. Jeongguk is reported not to have suffered actual financial loss due to measures such as payment suspension.
At the time, Jeongguk's agency, BigHit Music, told OSEN, "The company and the artist, upon becoming aware of the criminal act, immediately implemented measures to suspend payments on the accounts and restore them to prevent substantive damage," and added, "Separate from legal measures, we have also prepared measures to strengthen security for the artist's personal information and device-related information and have implemented measures to prevent recurrence."
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency cybercrime investigation unit said, "We plan to apply for an arrest warrant after suspect questioning and analysis of seized materials related to A."
[Photo] OSEN DB.
[OSEN]