The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's Financial Crime Investigation Unit has sought an arrest warrant for HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk on suspicion of fraudulent unfair trading under South Korea's Capital Markets Act. The allegations stem from share transactions carried out ahead of the company's IPO in 2019, where Bang allegedly misled existing investors about the company’s listing plans and later benefited from a prior undisclosed agreement tied to that arrangement. The case has attracted international attention, with the U.S. Embassy in Seoul recently requesting permission for Bang to travel to the United States despite a travel ban.