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Hybe founder is in trouble as South Korean police said on Tuesday that they are seeking to arrest chairman Bang Si-Hyuk as they widen their investigation into claims that he unlawfully gained more than $100 million through an investor fraud scheme. Hybe is home to Kpop tycoons such as BTS, TXT, Seventeen, ENHYPEN, LE SSERAFIM, NewJeans, BOYNEXTDOOR, TWS, ILLIT, &TEAM, and KATSEYE.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency confirmed that it has asked prosecutors to apply for a court warrant to arrest Bang. Representatives from his agency, HYBE, have not yet responded to requests for comment.

Authorities have been investigating Bang since November 2025 over claims that he misled investors in 2019. He allegedly told them that HYBE had no plans to go public, prompting them to sell their shares to a private equity fund before the company went ahead with an initial public offering. Police believe the fund may have paid Bang about 200 billion won ($136 million) through a side agreement that promised him 30% of profits from post-IPO stock sales.

Who is Bang Si-hyuk?

Bang Si-hyuk was born on August 9, 1972 and is known as "Hitman" Bang of South Korea. He founded Big Hit Entertainment in 2005, which later grew into the global entertainment and lifestyle platform HYBE. Currently, he is the chairman of HYBE. Forbes Asia ranks him among the 50 wealthiest people in South Korea, and he remains the only billionaire in the country’s entertainment industry. By July 2021, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index estimated his net worth at $3.2 billion.

Under his leadership, the company expanded worldwide and acquired major labels such as Ithaca Holdings, which manages Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande.

Bang began his career as a composer during his university years. In 1994, he won the Yoo Jae-ha Music Contest and started working professionally as a songwriter and producer. He met Park Jin-young in 1997, and they often collaborated as a songwriting duo. Together, they co-founded JYP Entertainment, where Bang worked as a composer, arranger, and producer.

But, about four years after co-founding JYP Entertainment, Bang left the company and established Big Hit Entertainment. There, he continued to write, compose, and produce music for its artists. At Big Hit, he signed RM at the age of 15, who later became the leader of the boy band BTS. Bang co-wrote six songs for BTS’s 2016 album Wings. 

The album’s success earned him the Best Producer Award at the Mnet Asian Music Awards and the Songwriter Award at the Melon Music Awards that year. In June 2018, Variety named him one of its International Music Leaders in recognition of BTS’s achievements.

He has also played a key role in developing and managing other successful K-pop groups, including TXT, Seventeen, and Le Sserafim.