South Korean police issued an arrest warrant for the Hybe founder. The BTS manager is said to have deceived investors during the IPO – damage: 100 million dollars.
Things are going well in the world of BTS. Over the years, they became a world-famous phenomenon and became the flagship of the K-Pop genre. Millions of fans are loyal to them, and everything that happens around the group soon goes viral. After a four-year break, 2026 represents the year of the big comeback for the seven musicians. The band’s latest studio album, “Arirang”, was released on March 20th, and the biggest K-pop tour of all time started on April 9th. However, turbulence can now be heard surrounding the management of the musicians. What’s behind it?
Accusations and arrest warrant against Hybe founder
There is currently a buzz going through the South Korean entertainment industry. The company Hybe, which is the management behind BTS’s success, is coming under enormous pressure. The South Korean authorities have recently taken action against the company’s founder and chairman, Bang Si Hyuk. As the Korean news program “MBN News” reports, the police in Seoul also issued an arrest warrant.
The investigation relates to irregularities in connection with Hybe’s IPO. In short, the allegations are that the company leader deliberately misled early investors. In the course of the alleged deception, they are said to have sold their shares to an investment fund that had a direct connection to their environment.
The fund in question then sold these shares at a profit. The CEO, who is now in the crossfire of the investigation, is said to have enriched himself considerably from these sales – around 30 percent of the income allegedly flowed directly to him. The responsible authorities speak of a sum of 100 million US dollars.
Hybe denies allegations
The company itself completely rejected the allegations and announced that it would cooperate in order to clarify the matter as best as possible. At the same time, criticism was expressed that an arrest warrant was issued despite the announced cooperation.
It is also explosive that despite an exit ban against the founder, there was supposedly a request to allow him to enter the USA. A possible trip is probably related to business appointments in connection with the global BTS tour.
It is unlikely that the investigations and allegations will have any consequences for the band itself. However, it remains to be seen whether the singers will make a management change in the near future.
