BBC News | Why police are seeking to arrest billionaire K-pop mogul behind BTS

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South Korean police have asked prosecutors to obtain a court warrant to arrest Hybe founder Bang Si‑hyeok, the “Hitman Bang” who created BTS, accusing him of fraudulently misleading investors in 2019 by claiming a public listing for his conglomerate was unlikely while secretly preparing for it; authorities allege he pocketed about 200 billion won (≈ $136 million) when Hybe debuted on the Kospi in October 2020. Bang, who denies the charges, has been barred from traveling abroad and faces possible five‑year to life imprisonment if convicted of illicit proceeds over 5 billion won. The investigation coincides with BTS’s highly lucrative world tour, which has boosted Hybe’s market value, and occurs amid a broader South Korean crackdown on stock‑rigging and illegal trading practices.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cz78zj74548o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

#BangSi-huk #HYBE #BTS #LeeJae-yong #KimBeom-su

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Variety | BTS Agency Hybe Founder Bang Si-hyuk Faces Detention as Seoul Police Seek Arrest Warrant by Naman Ramachandran

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Seoul police have applied for a warrant to detain Bang Si‑hyuk, the chair and founder of Hybe (formerly Big Hit Entertainment), accusing him of securities fraud tied to the company’s 2023 public listing. Investigators allege that in 2019 Bang gave early shareholders false assurances that a stock‑market debut was not imminent, prompting them to sell their stakes to a private‑equity vehicle linked to his associates; when Hybe later went public, the fund exited its position and Bang is suspected of receiving roughly 30 % of the proceeds—about KRW 190 billion ($129 million)—through a pre‑arranged deal. Although Bang has denied any wrongdoing and Hybe has not commented, prosecutors warn that under South Korea’s Capital Market Act anyone who profits over KRW 5 billion from false representations faces at least five years in prison, up to life. Bang has been questioned five times, placed under a travel ban that drew a diplomatic protest from the U.S. Embassy, and his alleged misconduct caused Hybe’s shares to dip sharply, even as BTS staged a highly‑attended comeback concert in Seoul and prepares for a U.S. tour leg. A court must still approve the warrant before he can be taken into custody.

Read more: https://variety.com/2026/music/news/bts-hybe-founder-bang-si-hyuk-arrest-1236726734/

#BangSi-Hyuk #HYBE #BTS #KoreaExchange

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The Guardian | Music executive behind K-pop group BTS faces arrest in South Korea by Associated Press in Seoul

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South Korean police are seeking a court warrant to arrest Bang Si‑Hyuk, the founder and chair of HYBE—the agency behind K‑pop acts such as BTS, Seventeen, Le Sserafim and Katseye—after expanding an investigation that alleges he misled investors in 2019 by claiming HYBE had no plans to go public, prompting them to sell shares to a private‑equity fund before the company’s IPO; authorities say the fund paid Bang roughly 200 billion won (about $136 million) in a side deal that promised him 30 % of the profits from post‑IPO stock sales, amounting to more than $100 million in alleged fraud, while Bang’s legal team says they have cooperated fully with the investigation, a development that poses a major public‑relations setback for HYBE as BTS embarks on a global tour following a four‑year hiatus.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/21/south-korea-music-executive-bang-si-hyuk-k-pop-bts-police

#HYBE #BTS #SouthKorea #BangSi-Hyuk

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