According to Korean media reports on March 22, BTS member Jungkook recently became a victim of identity theft.
An unidentified culprit illegally seized the HYBE shares worth about 8.44 billion won that Jungkook owned without his consent. This person took advantage of Jungkook's absence from his mandatory military service to commit the act.
The incident occurred on January 6, 2024, right after Jungkook enlisted to perform mandatory military service.
It is reported that an unidentified culprit opened three securities accounts under Jungkook's name, then used them to transfer 33,500 shares of HYBE Labels that Jungkook did not know about. 33,000 of those stocks (worth 8.3 billion won based on closing price on January 5, 2024) were transferred to a newly created securities account under Jungkook's name, while 500 stocks (about 126 million won) were sold and transferred to a third party.
In March 2024, Jungkook filed a third-party lawsuit to buy 500 shares. In February 2025, the Seoul Western District Court ordered a third party to return the shares to Jungkook and concluded that "there was no valid share transfer agreement because the plaintiff was a victim of identity theft".
Initially, the third party appealed the court's decision, but withdrew the appeal in March 2025.
Meanwhile, the initial culprit stole Jungkook's identity, using the information to seize and transfer shares of the BTS member, which has not yet been determined. Since the perpetrator accessed Jungkook's account, ID, bank password and other financial information, there was speculation that someone close to him may have been involved.
Since learning about the incident, management company Big Hit Music has actively mitigated the damage Jungkook suffered. The idols' accounts were quickly frozen and restored to their original owners, preventing real financial losses.
