Overview
- The Seoul Central District Court on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, sentenced a Chinese national to 20 years after finding he led an overseas hacking ring that stole more than 38 billion won.
- Investigators said the group hacked websites to harvest personal data, opened low-cost carrier mobile lines in victims' names, intercepted SMS verification codes, and used i-PINs and digital certificates to access bank and cryptocurrency accounts.
- Prosecutors and court filings put confirmed thefts at over 38 billion won and estimated total exposure at about 64 billion won when attempted or blocked transactions are included.
- HYBE detected and suspended suspicious activity that would have moved roughly 8.4 billion won in Jungkook's shares, preventing a direct loss for the artist.
- Authorities credited cross-border cooperation for arrests and extraditions from Thailand and said the case exposes weaknesses in mobile-based identity checks that could prompt tighter controls by carriers, banks and exchanges as further prosecutions continue.