All posts tagged: BTS

Bang Si-Hyuk: K-pop tycoon behind BTS avoids arrest in South Korean investor fraud probe

Bang Si-Hyuk: K-pop tycoon behind BTS avoids arrest in South Korean investor fraud probe

On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch South Korean prosecutors have rejected a police request for an arrest warrant for music tycoon Bang Si-Hyuk, the chair of the agency behind the K-pop supergroup BTS. Bang is facing a high-profile investigation into alleged investor fraud. However, prosecutors have questioned whether his detention is necessary. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency asked prosecutors earlier this week to request a court warrant to arrest the billionaire founder and chair of Hybe. The Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office said on Friday that it found that the request lacked sufficient grounds to justify his detention and instructed police investigators to strengthen their case. Bang, who has been barred from leaving the country since August, is not seen as a realistic flight risk. Bang Si-Hyuk is facing a high-profile investigation into alleged investor fraud (Reuters) The 53-year-old is being investigated over claims that he misled investors in 2019 by indicating that Hybe had …

Victoria Beckham shows off ultra-toned legs in BTS snap moments before going live on air

Victoria Beckham shows off ultra-toned legs in BTS snap moments before going live on air

Victoria Beckham never stops. Whether it’s launching a new campaign or stepping out at Paris Fashion Week, it’s safe to say the beauty mogul is always on the go. Despite seldom failing to look flawless amid her whirlwind life, the former Spice Girl, 52, will occasionally keep it real while on her Instagram stories and on Tuesday, she did just that, while also sharing a killer glimpse of her ultra-toned legs. VB showed off her fabulously toned legs Ahead of appearing on the Today Show in the US, VB shared a quick snap of herself glammed up to the nines while getting her mic belt fitted around her thigh, showing off her immaculately toned legs, accentuated by a flawless tan. VB ooozed her usual high fashion glamour for the occasion, stepping out in one of her own creations in a velvety chocolate brown hue, slipping on a pair of peep-toe stilettos to complete her look.  VB looked gorgeous posing alongside Jenna Bush hager and Sheinelle Marie Jones As for her glam, the fashion designer wore …

Bang Si-Hyuk, boss of Hybe and mogul behind K-pop supergroup BTS, faces arrest | World News

Bang Si-Hyuk, boss of Hybe and mogul behind K-pop supergroup BTS, faces arrest | World News

South Korean police are seeking to arrest the music mogul behind K-pop supergroup BTS over an alleged £100m investor fraud scheme. Bang Si-Hyuk, who is the founder and chairman of Hybe, is being investigated over allegations that he told investors the company had no plans to go public, which convinced them to sell their shares to a private equity fund in 2019. The company then proceeded with an initial public offering. Police believe that the fund may have paid Bang, who is widely seen as one of the most powerful figures in South Korean music, around 200bn won (£100m) in a side deal. Image: South Korean pop band, BTS, are preparing for a comeback tour after serving national mandatory military service. Pic: AP The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has since asked prosecutors to request a court warrant for Bang’s arrest. Bang, who has been barred from leaving the country since August, denies any wrongdoing. His legal team told the Associated Press that they had offered “full and consistent cooperation with the investigation over an extended …

South Korean Police Seek Arrest of BTS Agency Founder Bang Si-hyuk

South Korean Police Seek Arrest of BTS Agency Founder Bang Si-hyuk

Bang Si-hyuk, the founder and chairman of K-pop powerhouse Hybe — the agency home of supergroup BTS — is facing possible arrest after South Korean police moved Tuesday to secure a warrant for his detention in connection with an ongoing investigation into the company’s 2020 initial public offering. According to reports across the Korean media, the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s financial crimes investigation unit said it has booked Bang on charges of fraudulent and unfair trading and is moving to take him into custody. The agency alleges that he violated South Korea’s Capital Markets Act and secured roughly 190 billion won ($129 million) in illicit gains during Hybe’s IPO process. At the heart of the case is a private equity arrangement that police allege was structured to mislead early Hybe investors. Seoul authorities have said Bang deceived early shareholders ahead of the agency’s listing by steering them to sell their stakes to a private equity fund linked to his associates — then received about 30 percent of the fund’s profits under a prior agreement after …

BTS concerts boost South Korean economy by £27m as foreign fans flock to band’s reunion

BTS concerts boost South Korean economy by £27m as foreign fans flock to band’s reunion

On The Ground newsletter: Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly dispatch from our international correspondents Get a weekly international news dispatch South Korea recorded nearly £28m in spending by foreigners attending concerts by K-pop group BTS, who recently returned to the stage after four years. Figures released by the credit card company Hana Card showed that some 30,000 overseas visitors spent about 55.5bn won on airfare, accommodation, food, and retail during the three days that BTS performed at Goyang Stadium earlier this month, according to The Korea Times. The band composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook had been on a hiatus since 2022 while the members completed their country’s compulsory military service. The members pursued solo projects during that time but returned as a group last month with their new album Arirang. The comeback was marked by a free concert at the historic Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on 21 March. They launched the accompanying Arirang World Tour on 9 April in Goyang, just outside …

BTS members open up about reunion fears, ‘egos’ and missing out on writing songs

BTS members open up about reunion fears, ‘egos’ and missing out on writing songs

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This K-pop group BTS have offered a candid glimpse into their long-awaited comeback, sharing that their return to working as a unit was shadowed by concerns over creative clashes and personal evolution. The boyband, composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, had been on hiatus since 2022 while they completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. The members pursued individual projects while on hiatus and came back together last year to work on their latest studio album Arirang. In a new interview, V revealed he had been concerned that individual success could disrupt the the band’s chemistry upon reuniting. “Since all seven of us have had solo careers and strengthened our egos. I thought that meant everyone would have much stronger opinions when we came back to work together,” V, whose real name is Kim Taehyung, told Rolling Stone. “But to …

BTS break new ground for K-pop with Billboard chart performance

BTS break new ground for K-pop with Billboard chart performance

Get the inside track from Roisin O’Connor with our free weekly music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This Get our free music newsletter Now Hear This BTS have become the first K-pop act to top the US Billboard 200 albums chart for two consecutive weeks as their latest album Arirang held on to the No 1 spot in its second week. Arirang is the first studio album released since the K-pop group, composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook, went on hiatus in 2022 so the members could complete South Korea’s mandatory military service. The album was released on 20 March, with a free outdoor concert held the next day at Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square. The concert was live-streamed on Netflix, and was followed a week later by a documentary that tracked BTS’s return to the studio and preparations for the concert. According to Billboard, Arirang remained at No 1 on the main albums chart with 187,000 equivalent album units, though it dropped 71 per …

The Return’ With Documentary’s Director

The Return’ With Documentary’s Director

The stakes were impossibly high, but the long-awaited results appear to have delivered. Nearly four years after K-pop supergroup BTS stepped away from the public eye to fulfill South Korea’s mandatory military service, the world’s biggest band reconvened in Los Angeles last summer to begin the high-pressure task of crafting a comeback album. The resulting fifth BTS studio LP, Arirang — a blend of bold new pop experiments and assertive Korean national pride (the album samples and takes its name from a century-old folk song that functions as an unofficial national anthem in the country) — arrived on March 20 and promptly became the most-streamed album in a single day on Spotify this year, as well as the most-streamed K-pop album in the platform’s history. The following night, BTS performed together for the first time in nearly four years before tens of thousands of fans in Seoul’s historic Gwanghwamun Square, in a concert that Netflix livestreamed to 18.4 million viewers worldwide. Behind-the-scenes documentary BTS: The Return, which arrives on Netflix today, chronicles the creation of …