Police in Seoul have applied for an arrest warrant for HYBE Chairman Bang Si-hyuk amid an investigation into an alleged trading scheme ahead of the company\u2019s IPO.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s according to multiple news outlets out of South Korea on Tuesday (April 21), which reported that the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency\u2019s financial crimes unit has booked Bang on charges of fraudulent and unfair trading and is moving to secure his custody.<\/p>\n
The development comes one day after the agency’s commissioner, Park Jung-bo<\/b>, told reporters the investigation into Bang was “essentially complete” and nearing conclusion, The Korea Herald <\/i>reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n Bang’s legal team, in a statement to the\u00a0Associated Press,\u00a0<\/em>expressed regret that police were seeking his arrest\u00a0“despite our full and consistent cooperation with the investigation over an extended period”<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The statement added that Bang’s team “will continue to cooperate with all legal procedures and make every effort to clearly explain our position”.<\/p>\n Bang has been under police scrutiny for alleged improper share transactions worth around 200 billion South Korean<\/b> won<\/b> (approx. USD $136 million).<\/p>\n As\u00a0MBW<\/i>\u00a0previously\u00a0reported<\/a> in July 2025, regulators have referred Bang and three other executives to prosecutors for a probe into alleged \u201cunfair trading\u201d tied to the company\u2019s 2020 IPO.<\/p>\n Regulators are examining claims that Bang received\u00a030%<\/b>\u00a0of the profits, or about\u00a0190 billion won\u00a0<\/b>($129m). This amount is significantly less than the\u00a0400 billion won<\/b>\u00a0($272m) that was previously reported.<\/p>\n