As fans are well aware, over the past year, HYBE's headquarters has been raided by ρσℓι¢є at least once to secure evidence, and Chairman Bang Si-hyuk has been summoned more than five times for questioning. These actions stem from allegations that Bang intentionally concealed or misrepresented information to pocket 190 billion KRW (approximately $131 million) in illicit gains through a fraudulent deal with a private equity fund prior to the K-pop empire's IPO.

If these allegations are proven true, his actions could constitute securities fraud or investment fraud under South кσяєαn law—offenses punishable by five years to life imprisonment. However, from the outset, Bang Si-hyuk has consistently maintained that he fully complied with all legal regulations during HYBE's IPO process and denies all charges.

Despite the 16-month investigation involving multiple summons—some occurring consecutively over two months with interrogations lasting from midnight until dawn—progress appeared stagnant. Bang continued to attend high-profile events, such as the 2025 APEC CEO Summit in October, a commemorative ceremony at the National Museum of кσяєα, and most recently, BTS's three-day concert at Goyang Stadium.

However, according to latest reports on the 21st, the Financial Crime Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency announced it has filed for an arrest warrant for Chairman Bang on charges of fraudulent transactions.

Notably, this news broke shortly after the U.S. Embαѕѕy in Seoul reportedly sent a letter to Acting Commissioner General Yoo Jae-sung requesting cooperation. The letter sought to facilitate travel for HYBE’s top brαѕѕ—including Chairman Bang Si-hyuk, CEO Lee Jae-sang, and Vice President Kim Hyun-jung—to the United States. Cited reasons included attending the U.S. 250th Independence Day celebrations (July 4th) and BTS’s upcoming U.S. tour. However, the ρσℓι¢є denied the request.

Amid soaring expectations for a financial turnaround driven by BTS’s comeback with the new album "ARIRANG" and an upcoming world tour, the market responded immediately. As of 12:00 PM that day, HYBE's stock price was trading at 248,000 KRW, down 2.5% from the previous trading day. As the stock price, which had recently hovered around the 250,000 KRW range, showed weakness, investor sentiment also appeared to be shrinking. In mid-February, ahead of the BTS comeback, HYBE's stock price had once surpαѕѕed 400,000 KRW due to high expectations.

Experts warn that this legal risk will exert significant pressure on BTS's activities. Last year, HYBE recorded a revenue of 2.65 trillion KRW and an operating profit of 49.3 billion KRW. Following the "BTS effect," brokerage firms had projected this year's revenue to reach 4.2 trillion KRW and operating profit to нιт 535.3 billion KRW—an increase of 58% and 985% respectively compared to the previous year. BTS is a core artist group accounting for more than half of HYBE's total revenue.

Chairman Bang played a pivotal role in the growth of BTS as their producer in the past. While day-to-day operations are now handled by specialized internal organizations, he is reportedly still involved in the creative direction of BTS's albums and major activities. Even the theme of the comeback album, "ARIRANG," was proposed by him and finalized after discussions with the members.

Moreover, given the high stakes of HYBE's global operations, the presence and on-site leadership of top executives are crucial. Now, with the request for his detention, HYBE faces a future potentially devoid of its primary leader’s oversight.

An official from the entertainment industry commented, "With expectations for a performance rebound growing due to the BTS comeback, the emergence of owner risk could act as a burden on corporate image and investor sentiment. In a period where global business is critical, concerns over a management vacuum will also serve as a significant variable."

Nevertheless, some sources note that this is merely a "request for an arrest warrant" and not yet a formal arrest. This indicates that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency believes it has sufficient evidence to convince a court that Bang committed a crime or poses a flight risk/risk of evidence destruction. To put it simply, these are "grounded suspicions," and the final verdict remains with the court. The court may still choose to dismiss the warrant if the legal requirements are not met.

As news of the warrant request spread, netizens expressed a wide range of reactions:

- After USA embαѕѕy ask them to lift the band, They immediately apply for arrest. Warrant, now lets see how prosecutor will handle this

- I don't understand if bang si hyuk is proven innocent then who will pay for his mental health, reputation damage and hundreds of million $ financial losses, he's still firmly denying all allegations if he's guilty he won't be this firm

- They had over a year of investigation to do this, but only moved after being publicly dragged for taking too long to wrap up the case and humiliated by external interference. Now it’s up to the court to approve the request. The battle between HYBE lawyers and Seoul ρσℓι¢є officially started

- The US Embαѕѕy really woke them up, they suddenly applied for an arrest warrant right after the embαѕѕy’s letter

- BTS will be soon traveling to US to start their αмєяι¢α tour, and he is the executive producer. I hope the guys are fine. They trusted him to this album and comeback and I'm not questioning or attacking BTS choices

- All that time they spent “reviewing” the case was actually business interference. I hope HYBE brings in lawyers—including international ones—because the moment they saw he might get the travel ban lifted for BUSINESS, they suddenly filed this

- Idk maybe maybe someone is playing ∂ιяту cause when he need to go outside of sk for bts tour related discussion they want arrest warrant?? I hope at least for this bh have someone trust worthy who will do bang pd's part perfectly