BANG SI HYUK
BANG SI HYUK, the chairman of HYBE who was referred to prosecutors over allegations of violating the Capital Markets Act, turns out to have received a bonus of over 2.8 billion won (approximately 1.77 million euros) during the first half of this year, even while the police investigation was ongoing.
According to the electronic disclosure system of the Financial Supervisory Service on September 11, Chairman BANG received 2.805 billion won as a bonus in the first half of 2026. This is the highest amount among executives and employees receiving compensation exceeding 500 million won, an amount that more than doubled compared to the bonus received by Chairman BANG in the first half of 2024 (980 million won).
Regarding the bonus payment to Chairman BANG, HYBE explained: “In accordance with the chairman’s compensation regulations and internal criteria, we comprehensively evaluated the management results of the current year, shareholder value creation, and performance in securing future growth engines, after which it was subject to deliberation and decision by the compensation committee as well as final approval from the board of directors.”
Indeed, HYBE‘s performance improved in the first half of this year. In particular in the second quarter, consolidated revenue reached 1.45 trillion won and operating profit reached 170.9 billion won, thus recording the best quarterly results in its history. HYBE maintains the stance that it determined Chairman BANG‘s bonus by comprehensively evaluating such management performance.
However, as Chairman BANG received a bonus of over 2.8 billion won during the period when he was under investigation for alleged fraudulent transactions under the Capital Markets Act, controversy surrounding the appropriateness of this compensation payment seems inevitable.
The investigation surrounding Chairman BANG stems from suspicions raised during HYBE‘s initial public offering (IPO) process. The police, who opened a preliminary investigation in December 2024, moved to an official investigation in May of last year and continued their investigations by conducting raids at the Korea Exchange and HYBE headquarters.
Subsequently, the Financial Crimes Investigation Team of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency non-custodially referred 5 HYBE executives, including Chairman BANG, to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office on September 3. Chairman BANG is suspected of deceiving shareholders during HYBE‘s IPO process to induce them to sell their shares in order to secure profits. It is reported that out of the total illicit gains identified by the police amounting to 263.1 billion won, Chairman BANG is suspected of pocketing 156.8 billion won. The entirety of the proceeds of crime was subject to pre-indictment preservation by the court.
Furthermore, apart from Chairman BANG, Senior Executive Vice President KIM TAEHO received 100 million won and Chief Legal Officer (CLO) JUNG JIN SOO received 200 million won as non-salary compensation during the first half of this year.
Journalist: Shawn
Translator: Shawn
Source: SNS HYBE
