The detention of the leader of a hacking organization suspected of stealing hundreds of millions of won in assets from domestic wealthy individuals, including Jungkook of BTS, is expected to be decided as early as the 24th.
According to the legal community, the Seoul Central District Court will hold a pre-trial examination (warrant review) for Mr. A (34), a Chinese national, at 2 p.m. on this day.
Mr. A is accused of creating a hacking criminal organization in Thailand and hacking into domestic telecom company websites to illegally collect personal information from August 2023 to January of the previous year (violating the Information and Communications Network Act, among others).
He is suspected of stealing more than 38 billion won by opening mobile phones in the victims' names with the illegally collected personal information and transferring assets, including deposits, from financial accounts and virtual asset accounts without authorization.
Among the victims were celebrities, including Jungkook of the idol group BTS, famous entertainers, corporate chairmen, and representatives of venture companies.
The Ministry of Justice obtained intelligence in April of this year that Mr. A had entered Thailand while tracking his whereabouts in cooperation with the Seoul Police Agency. Subsequently, they secured his custody in collaboration with Interpol and Thai authorities and repatriated him to Incheon Airport on the 22nd.