Korea Prosecutors Seek Arrest Warrant for Private Equity Billionaire

Michael ByungJu KimSource: MBK Partners Ltd.

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By Haram Lim and Filipe Pacheco

January 8, 2026 at 12:57 AM UTC

Updated on

January 8, 2026 at 4:41 AM UTC

South Korean prosecutors said they have sought an arrest warrant for Michael ByungJu Kim, the billionaire co-founder and chairman of MBK Partners Ltd, marking a sharp escalation in the long-simmering dispute over the firm’s management of beleaguered supermarket chain Homeplus.

The warrants to detain four people, including Kim, were requested late Wednesday, a spokesperson from the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office told Bloomberg News via text message on Thursday.