An automated illegal ticket purchase system used by the 35-year-old suspectULSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY
A 35-year-old person was arrested after allegedly pocketing around 420 million won ($303,300) through an automated program to snap up dozens of K-pop concert tickets in a minute and resell them for up to 13 times their face value, police said Wednesday.
The Ulsan Metropolitan Police Agency referred the suspect to prosecutors on charges including obstruction of business and violations of the Public Performance Act and the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.
The suspect reportedly used 1,198 accounts registered under the names of foreign nationals to buy large quantities of tickets to K-pop concerts and other popular performances from three Korean ticket sales platforms between November 2024 and October 2025. The suspect then resold the tickets at a premium through secondhand marketplaces.
Bundles of 50,000 won ($36) bills are hidden inside a vault belonging to the 35-year-old suspect.ULSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY
Investigators found that the suspect used a self-developed macro program, which allowed them to snap up as many as 80 tickets in a single minute.
The program automated the entire booking process, unlike conventional methods where people select seats and make payments. It was also designed to bypass anti-bot measures such as Captchas, a verification technology that distinguishes human users from automated programs.
The suspect allegedly bought access to accounts registered under foreign nationals' names through Telegram, paying about 30,000 won for eachaccount credentials.
"The suspect had built up computer expertise while working in e-commerce, including developing online shopping systems," a police official said. “The suspect told investigators that developing the macro program was not particularly difficult, and we also found that the suspect used AI to overcome technical problems while developing the program."
The suspect also built a function into the program that could post ticket sale listings on secondhand marketplaces in rapid succession — just seconds apart. Police believe the system allowed the suspect to buy and resell 70 to 80 tickets within minutes.
Luxury fashion items are seen at the residence of the 35-year-old suspect.ULSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY
The suspect allegedly sold tickets for three to 13 times their original price, with one ticket fetching as much as 2.73 million won. The suspect is believed to have resold more than 1,700 tickets over a year and made about 420 million won in net profit after deducting ticket costs.
Police seized about 200 million won in cash found inside a safe during a search of the suspect's home. Authorities also obtained a court order to freeze suspected criminal proceeds to prevent them from being hidden or disposed of.
While tracing the proceeds, investigators found that money had been repeatedly transferred to the same person. Police are looking into the purpose of the payments and whether anyone else was involved in the scheme.
Bottles of wine are placed on a shelf where the 35-year-old suspect resided.ULSAN METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY
"Online ticket scalping using macro programs undermines market fairness and harms ticketing platforms, ordinary buyers and performers alike," said a police official. "We plan to step up enforcement against online ticket scalping in line with the revised Public Performance Act.”
The revised Public Performance Act, which is set to take effect Friday, will ban all unauthorized resale of performance tickets, regardless of whether automated programs are used.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
