The Ministry of Justice has forcibly repatriated the leader of an international hacking organization that embezzled large sums of money using the names of domestic wealthy individuals, including BTS member Jungkook, from Thailand. The police plan to request an arrest warrant after the investigation.

Officials from the Ministry of Justice forcibly repatriate the leader of a hacking organization that embezzles large sums by using the names of domestic wealthy individuals, including BTS Jungkook, through Incheon International Airport on the morning of the 22nd. The Ministry of Justice announces that it has repatriated a Chinese national, A (34), who is the key criminal of a hacking organization that hacked multiple websites, embezzling a total of over 38 billion won from the financial accounts and virtual asset accounts of prominent individuals in South Korea, from Bangkok, Thailand, to Incheon Airport./Courtesy of the Ministry of Justice

On the 22nd, the Ministry of Justice announced that it had extradited a 34-year-old Chinese national, referred to as A, from Bangkok, Thailand, to the country. A is suspected of organizing a hacking crime syndicate abroad and illegally collecting personal information by infiltrating the websites of telecommunications companies from August 2023 to January of last year, and then using that information to open mobile phone accounts and transfer assets from financial accounts and virtual asset accounts, totaling over 38 billion won.

Victims reportedly include numerous well-known public figures, such as famous celebrities, conglomerate heads, and venture business representatives.

In particular, BTS member Jungkook suffered losses when, shortly after enlisting in January of last year, his securities account was misused to steal 33,500 shares of HYBE stock worth 8.4 billion won. However, his agency was able to prevent significant losses by promptly freezing the account.

The Ministry of Justice tracked A's movements in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and Interpol, obtaining intelligence of his entry into Thailand last April and requesting an urgent extradition. It explained that it managed to achieve his repatriation in about four months by sending prosecutors and investigators to the local area and collaborating with Thai authorities.

The Ministry of Justice stated that it will thoroughly track and crack down on hacking, voice phishing, and online fraud crime organizations located overseas through the recently launched 'Overseas Voice Phishing Offenders Response Task Force'.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police said that it plans to apply for an arrest warrant after conducting interviews with A as a suspect and analyzing confiscated items, as announced through a media notice on the same day.

The police said, 'As this is an incident with significant social repercussions, we will conduct a strict investigation and inform the public of the investigation results in accordance with procedures.'

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