A Chinese suspect accused of leading a hacking group that stole or tried to steal more than 38 billion won from wealthy people in Korea has been sent back to Korea.
According to the Ministry of Justice and the National Police Agency on May 13, a 40 year old Chinese national, identified only as “A,” was extradited from Bangkok, Thailand, to Incheon International Airport earlier that morning.
Police said A was a key figure in a hacking group that broke into several websites and used stolen personal information to access victims’ financial accounts and virtual asset accounts.
The crimes reportedly took place from August 2023 to April 2025. The group is said to have checked the account balances of wealthy people in Korea, then targeted those who were in prison, overseas, or serving in the military.
Victims reportedly included a company chairman in detention, celebrities, athletes, and wealthy individuals.
BTS member Jungkook was also revealed to have been one of the targets. In 2024, while Jungkook was receiving basic military training after his enlistment, 33,500 HYBE shares worth about 8.4 billion won were transferred to an account that had been opened without authorization.
However, Jungkook reportedly did not suffer actual financial damage because payment suspension and recovery steps were taken.
At the time, BigHit Music told OSEN that the company and the artist took action right after becoming aware of the crime. The agency said they prevented actual damage through steps such as suspending payments and restoring the account.
BigHit Music also said it strengthened security measures related to the artist’s personal information and device information to prevent a similar case from happening again.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s cyber crime investigation team said it plans to question A, analyze seized materials, and request an arrest warrant.
Source: [1]
