A 34-year-old Chinese national, identified as Jeon, has admitted to some charges related to a large-scale identity theft and fraud case that victimized, among others, Jungkook of the globally renowned K-pop group BTS. The Seoul Metropolitan Police confirmed this development during a press briefing on August 25, 2025, stating that while Jeon acknowledges some of the accusations, he denies others, and a thorough investigation is ongoing based on secured evidence.
Jeon is accused of hacking into domestic telecommunications websites and other platforms between August 2023 and January 2024, violating the Information and Communications Network Act. Law enforcement extradited Jeon from Thailand on August 22 with the cooperation of Thai authorities, and he was formally arrested on August 24.
The investigation revealed that Jeon allegedly stole not only Jungkook's identity but also those of a top-30 chaebol leader (a family-run conglomerate in South Korea) and a venture company CEO, to commit further crimes. He purportedly used these stolen identities to activate mobile phone accounts and siphon funds from financial and virtual asset accounts. The total confirmed damages so far amount to approximately 38 billion KRW (about 27.7 million USD).
In Jungkook's case, while he was serving in the military in January 2024, his identity was used to illegally open a securities account. Jeon allegedly sold stocks worth about 100 million KRW (approximately 73,000 USD) under Jungkook's name to a third party. Fortunately, Jungkook recovered the funds through a civil lawsuit in March. Another report indicated that 33,500 shares of HYBE stock, valued at 8.4 billion won, were withdrawn from Jungkook's account in January 2024. HYBE, Jungkook's agency, acted swiftly to address the situation.
Police have arrested 16 people involved in the case, with two already in custody. Authorities plan to hand Jeon over to prosecutors this week while continuing to interview victims. A police official emphasized the importance of verifying the full extent of the damage. Judge Cho Young-min approved an arrest warrant for Jeon based on concerns about flight risk and evidence destruction. During the hearing, authorities noted that Jeon remained silent when questioned publicly but admitted to part of the crimes during interrogation.
