The Bang Si Hyuk insider trading investigation has Seoul Crushers buzzing with anger and concern. South Korea’s Financial Supervisory Service is now looking into whether HYBE’s chairman deceived shareholders for massive profits. This Bang Si Hyuk insider trading case reveals shocking details about how BTS members received far less than their contributions deserved.
The Bang Si Hyuk Insider Trading Scandal Unfolds
On May 28, investigators began examining Bang Si Hyuk’s suspicious business moves from 2019. He allegedly lied to existing shareholders about HYBE’s plans to go public. Then he convinced them to sell their shares to his private equity fund company. This happened right before HYBE’s huge IPO in October 2020.
The scheme was brilliant but potentially illegal. Bang Si Hyuk had secretly signed a contract guaranteeing him 30% of all profits from HYBE’s public listing. When the company went public, this deal earned him a whopping 400 billion KRW. That’s about $300 million USD! Meanwhile, the original shareholders who sold their shares missed out on these massive gains.
Financial investigators believe this constitutes illegal insider trading. They’re reviewing the case before sending it to prosecutors for formal charges. The Bang Si Hyuk insider trading probe could result in serious criminal penalties.
BTS HYBE Shares Scandal Reveals Unfair Treatment
The BTS HYBE shares scandal shows how unfairly the group was treated compared to Bang Si Hyuk’s massive profits. Each of the seven BTS members received approximately 68,000 shares before HYBE went public. At that time, these shares were worth about 9.2 billion KRW per member, roughly $6.7 million USD each.
Some members have already sold portions of their shares. Jin pocketed 4.8 billion KRW, while j-hope earned 1.8 billion KRW and RM made 3.1 billion KRW. The other members’ current shareholdings remain unknown since their status changed to private in September 2023.
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Even if all members still hold their original shares, each would have profits around 15 billion KRW, about $11 million USD. This sounds like a lot, but it pales compared to Bang Si Hyuk’s 400 billion KRW windfall. Other unnamed “affiliates” reportedly pocketed 200 billion and 100 billion KRW respectively.
Fan Outrage Over BTS Treatment Grows
Seoul Crushers are furious about the unfair distribution of profits within HYBE. Many fans are calling out Bang Si Hyuk for treating BTS like “pawns” while enriching himself and his friends. The group literally built HYBE from nothing, yet they received what fans call “breadcrumbs” compared to others.
One netizen perfectly captured the frustration: “BTS built HYBE from the ground up, but Bang Si Hyuk gave them 9 billion each and made it so that his friends would pocket 100 billion.” Another pointed out the systemic problem: “This is the fundamental problem of the K-Pop industry. It’s essentially an industry that uses young children as pawns to generate huge earnings for greedy old men.”
The timing makes this even worse. In 2020, BTS members were young, exhausted, and under pressure to renew their contracts. They couldn’t negotiate from a position of strength. Fans are now saying things like “BTS it’s not too late, please get out of there while you still can.”
Final Thoughts: Bang Si Hyuk Insider Trading Case Changes Everything
This Bang Si Hyuk insider trading investigation has opened Seoul Crushers’ eyes to serious problems at HYBE. The company BTS built with their talent and hard work seems designed to benefit everyone except the artists themselves. While Bang Si Hyuk potentially faces criminal charges, fans worry about BTS’s future.
The stark difference between Bang Si Hyuk’s $300 million and BTS’s much smaller share payments tells a troubling story. It raises questions about fairness, loyalty, and respect in the K-pop industry. What do you think Seoul Crushers – should BTS have received a much bigger piece of the HYBE pie they helped create?
