[Sportschosun Lee Ji-hyun] The ringleader of a hacking ring that targeted wealthy people in South Korea, including BTS’s Seo Eve, was sentenced to 20 years in prison at first instance.
On the 20th, the 31st Criminal Division of the Seoul Central District Court, presided over by Judge Park Jun-seok, sentenced a Chinese national identified as Jeon, 37, to 20 years in prison on charges including fraud under the Act on the Aggravated Punishment of Specific Economic Crimes and violations of the Information and Communications Network Act.
From August 2023 to January last year, Jeon’s group is accused of illegally collecting personal information from wealthy people in South Korea, then opening mobile phone lines in the victims’ names and using them to access financial accounts and virtual asset accounts, stealing about 38 billion won.
The targets included BTS’s Seo Eve, as well as business leaders such as chairmen and CEOs of major conglomerates, celebrities, influencers, and others.
Seo Eve was reportedly on the verge of having HYBE shares worth about 8.4 billion won stolen. Fortunately, the agency took action, including suspending payments, as soon as it became aware of the damage, and the incident did not result in actual financial loss.
The court pointed out, “They selected wealthy people in South Korea as targets and stole their assets,” adding, “Unlike ordinary voice phishing cases, the victims had their property taken while completely defenseless and without any fault of their own.”
It also said, “The damage amounts to billions of won, and no recovery has been made at all,” explaining that the sentence reflected the fact that this was “a serious crime that shakes not only the individual victims but also the foundation of South Korea’s financial system.”
Jeon was arrested in Thailand in May last year through INTERPOL cooperation. He was extradited to South Korea in August and indicted while in custody in September.
Meanwhile, BTS released its full-group album ‘ARIRANG’ in March and is currently carrying out a large-scale world tour of the same name. The group, now in the middle of its North America leg, will continue its performances in Toronto, Canada, on the 22nd and 23rd.
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