Seoul, South Korea —The billionaire founder of South Korean tech giant Kakao Corp, Kim Beom-su was arrested on Tuesday on accusations of manipulating stocks during the acquisition of a K-Pop agency last year. The case is the latest legal twist for Kakao, which runs South Korea’s largest chat app, after the company and another executive went on trial last year for alleged wrongdoing during the same acquisition. Any case against him could jeopardize Kakao’s investments into artificial intelligence as well as its overseas expansion plans, industry experts said. The high-profile tech entrepreneur is the largest shareholder of Kakao Corp, with a 24% stake that he and affiliated entities control. Kakao Corp shares dropped 3.4% during morning trade to the lowest since November, after falling 24% year-to-date.

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Persons: Kim Beom, su, Kim, Brian Kim, Jakub Porzycki Organizations: South, Kakao Corp, Prosecutors, SM Entertainment, Seoul Southern, Court, Detention, KakaoBank Corp Locations: Seoul, South Korea, South Korean, Korean, Kakao