A viral claim circulating on social media suggests that BTS members-RM, Jin, SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook-are the fifth-largest shareholders in HYBE. According to the claim, the group collectively holds a 1.1% stake in the company, surpassing the shareholdings of CEOs leading HYBE's subsidiary labels.

However, a closer look at official financial reports and public data raises questions about the accuracy of these assertions.

The speculation gained traction after a post on X (formerly Twitter) claimed that BTS members would exercise their shareholder voting rights as a collective unit, giving them significant influence within HYBE. Additionally, the claim suggested that each BTS member individually holds more shares than the CEOs of HYBE's subsidiaries, including HYBE Labels Japan, ADOR and Pledis Entertainment.

As per HYBE's official financial reports and publicly available data from financial platforms like Bloomberg, the four largest shareholders of HYBE are:

Bang Si Hyuk - 31.6%

Netmarble - 12.1%

The National Pension Service of Korea - 8.2%

Dunamu Inc. - 5.5%

Beyond these major stakeholders, an additional 5.7% of shares are categorized under 'others,' which includes smaller institutional investors and individual shareholders. Notably, Scooter Braun, CEO of HYBE America, is reported to be the fifth-largest shareholder, which directly contradicts the viral claim.

How Much Does BTS Actually Own?

BTS members do hold shares in HYBE, thanks to a generous allocation from HYBE's founder and chairman, Bang Si Hyuk, in 2020 when the company went public. According to public records, Jungkook remains one of the top 10 individual shareholders, holding 68,385 shares, which equates to approximately 0.16% of HYBE's total shares.

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If all seven members had retained their gifted shares, their collective stake might have been close to the 1.1% figure mentioned in the viral post. However, this assumption does not hold, as some members have already sold portions of their shares.

Stock Sales and Changing Ownership

In 2021, HYBE's Stock Holding Changes Report revealed that three BTS members had sold a portion of their shares:

Jin - Sold 16,000 shares

RM - Sold 10,385 shares

J-Hope - Sold 5,601 shares

As a result, their individual ownership percentages have changed, and their collective stake has been reduced from its initial level. Therefore, the claim that BTS still holds a 1.1% stake in HYBE is misleading at best and inaccurate at worst.

Stock ownership in a corporation as large as HYBE is a complex issue. Even if BTS collectively held 1.1% of shares, their voting power would remain relatively small compared to institutional investors who own much larger stakes. Corporate decisions at HYBE are primarily influenced by major shareholders, including Bang Si Hyuk and institutional investors like Netmarble and The National Pension Service of Korea.

While BTS members do have a stake in HYBE, the claim that they are the fifth-largest shareholders is not supported by official records. Their collective ownership is significantly smaller than major stakeholders, and their individual shareholding does not surpass the CEOs of HYBE's subsidiaries. As always, verifying financial claims with official reports is essential before accepting viral social media posts as fact.