According to Koreaboo, a recent complaint circulating on X (previously Twitter) claims that BTS members have become the fifth major shareholder of Hybe. The complaint says that BTS collectively owns 1.1% of Hybe’s total shares and will exercise their votes as a single entity. However, the affirmation lacks cited sources or statistical support, raising doubts about its precision.
BTS has acquired significant participation in Hybe, becoming the fifth fifth shareholder of the company.
– collectively, members have 1.1% of Hybe’s shares. In particular, each BTS member individually holds more actions than the CEO of the Hybe branches. pic.twitter.com/p3xs0hadyk
– pop core (@theepopcore) February 26, 2025
The viral affirmation suggests that each BTS member has more actions individually than any CEO of Hybe’s subsidiary companies. While this statement has gained traction among the fans, the financial data available to the public tell a different story.
Structure of Hybe’s shareholders
According to the official data released on the Hybe website, the company’s main shareholders are as follows:
- 31.6%
- Netmarble – 12.1%
- National Pension Service of Korea – 8.2%
- Dunamu Inc. – 5.5%
- Others (collectively attributed) – 5.7%
Further financial data of Bloomberg further clarify the rankings of Hybe’s shareholders. These relationships identify Scooter Braun, CEO of Hybe America, like the fifth largest shareholder, not BTS. This directly contradicts the statement according to which BTS collectively holds the fifth participation of the company.
The actual participation of BTS
On the basis of registers available to the public, the BTS Jungkook member is among the top 10 shareholders of Hybe, with 68,385 shares, which represents 0.16% of the company. These actions, together with those of the other six members, were originally donated by the founder of Hybe, Bang Si Hyuk, in 2020 when the company became public.
However, the collective participation of BTS’s 1.1% is feasible only if all seven members have maintained their original actions. In fact, official documents show that some members have sold parts of their stock. According to the report on Hybe’s 2021 equity modifications:
- Jin sold 16,000 shares
- RM sold 10,385 shares
- J-Hope sold 5,601 shares
This indicates that not all members of BTS currently have the same number of shares, making the complaint of their collective property as 1.1% questionable and potentially false.
While BTS remains a significant entity within Hybe, the affirmation of being the fifth largest shareholder is not supported by verified financial data. Public registers indicate that their collective property does not reach 1.1%declared, especially after share sales by individual members. In addition, Scooter Braun, not BTS, holds the position of the fifth largest shareholder of the company.
