Bang Jun-hyuk, chairman of Netmarble and Coway, has agreed to acquire 11,153,420 Netmarble common shares from Tencent affiliate Han River Investment for ₩374 billion, or approximately $270.7 million. The shares represent 13.41% of Netmarble and will be purchased at ₩33,538 each, about 9.5% below the ₩37,050 closing price on the day Netmarble disclosed the agreement. The transaction is scheduled for September 21 through after-hours block trading, with an over-the-counter alternative if market conditions make the block trade impractical. Once completed, Bang’s stake will rise from 24.93% to 38.34%, while Han River Investment’s holding will fall from 18.11% to 4.69%, widening the ownership gap from 6.82 percentage points to 33.65 percentage points. Netmarble said Bang would directly acquire the shares to strengthen responsible management and reduce potential market uncertainty from a large block sale. Bang will personally finance the purchase, reportedly using stock-backed loans (loans secured by shares), although the lender, interest rate, loan size and collateral details have not been disclosed. The transaction is a sale of existing shares and does not dilute other shareholders or provide new capital to Netmarble. Tencent will retain its relationship with Netmarble and continue cooperating with the company, including in its global gaming business, despite reducing its stake.