Bang Si Hyuk arrest warrant: South Korean authorities have requested an arrest warrant for Bang Si Hyuk, the influential music executive behind K-pop powerhouse HYBE. On April 21, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s Financial Crime Investigation Division confirmed that it had applied for the warrant.
They alleged that Bang violated the Capital Markets Act through fraudulent and unfair trading practices. Scroll down to read about it in detail!
What led to the arrest warrant for HYBE boss?
Investigators claim Bang Si Hyuk misled early investors before HYBE’s initial public offering. According to police, he allegedly told shareholders there were no plans for the company to go public. Shortly afterwards, HYBE proceeded with its listing.
Authorities suspect that early investors were encouraged to sell their stakes to a private equity fund connected to Bang’s associates. Police further believe that a prior agreement allowed Bang to receive roughly 30 per cent of the fund’s profits after the listing.
The alleged arrangement reportedly generated close to 200 billion won in illicit gains.
Bang Si Hyuk, however, has strongly denied the accusations. He maintains that he did not deceive investors and argues that the stake sale occurred at the request of the shareholders themselves. According to his statement, the profit-sharing terms were also proposed by the investors.
More details about the investigation began in 2024
The investigation first began in December 2024 when financial authorities started examining whether undisclosed profit-sharing deals had been arranged before HYBE’s public debut.
Police later raided the company’s Seoul headquarters in July 2025. Bang voluntarily returned to South Korea the following month to cooperate with investigators and has reportedly been barred from leaving the country since August last year. In December, a Seoul court approved the provisional seizure of Bang’s HYBE shares worth approximately 156.8 billion won.
About HYBE
Bang Si Hyuk founded Big Hit Entertainment, HYBE’s predecessor, in 2005 after leaving JYP Entertainment. Over the years, the company grew into a global entertainment giant largely driven by the success of BTS. Since their debut in 2013, BTS has dominated international charts and helped transform HYBE into a multibillion-dollar empire. The company went public in October 2020 and later expanded globally, acquiring major music labels and management companies.
HYBE has not yet issued an official response regarding the warrant request. Meanwhile, reports indicate that the company’s share price dipped shortly after news of the investigation surfaced.