Visitors queue at a ticket booth at Seoul’s Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on Aug. 27.YONHAP
Ever wondered why it’s so hard to get tickets to your favorite sports games or K-pop concerts?
Police have busted a ticket scalper who allegedly made more than 1 billion won ($731,000) by reselling nearly 9,000 tickets, sometimes for as much as 30 times their face value.
The alleged scalper bought 8,967 tickets for popular performances and sporting events over seven years and seven months, from September 2018 through April, and resold them at marked-up prices. His sales totaled about 2.4 billion won, and roughly two-thirds of the amount was profit, according to the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency on Wednesday.
The markups were sometimes staggering. The scalper allegedly bought a ticket to BTS’s 2019 concert at Jamsil Sports Complex in Songpa District, southern Seoul, for 110,000 won and resold it for 3 million won — more than 27 times the original price. He also bought a ticket to boy band Seventeen’s fan meet-and-greet event in 2025 for 110,000 won and resold it for 1.8 million won.
A 400,000-won ticket to the 2024 Team K League match against Tottenham Hotspur was resold for 1.65 million won. Bruno Mars’ 2023 concert in Korea went from 250,000-won per ticket to 1.2 million won. Some tickets were resold for nearly 30 times their original prices.
Police found that the alleged scalper used automated ticket-buying programs to snap up tickets, along with ticketing accounts belonging to family members and relatives.
The alleged scalper was also a member of what police described as Korea’s largest social media group chat for ticket scalping. The group shut down earlier this year following a police investigation. The suspect learned about the process behind ticket resales and automated ticket-buying programs through the chat and used them in the operation.
The alleged scalper used several methods to get the tickets to buyers, such as changing ticket delivery addresses to have physical tickets sent directly to buyers, transferring digital tickets online or handing over admission wristbands at concert venues.
A smartphone calendar filled with concert schedules found on the alleged ticket scalper's phoneGYEONGGI BUKBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY
Police found that the alleged scalper had made a living from ticket scalping since graduating from university and had no other regular job. Investigators say the suspect used the alleged criminal proceeds to buy an apartment and two commercial properties in Gyeonggi. He has since sold the apartment.
Police identified the two commercial properties and bonds held in the suspect’s name — worth a combined 1.26 billion won — as alleged criminal proceeds. Authorities obtained a court order to freeze the assets before indictment.
The suspect also tried to destroy evidence after seeing news reports in March that police had busted a “large-scale ticket scalping cartel,” according to investigators. He allegedly wiped computers and mobile phones used in the operation and shut down a business he had registered to make his ticket-reselling operation appear legitimate.
An alleged ticket scalper's search history for ticket scalping and automated ticket-buying programs using generative AIGYEONGGI BUKBU PROVINCIAL POLICE AGENCY
Police uncovered evidence of the alleged scheme during a search of the suspect’s property. Investigators found a USB drive containing concealed records of the operation as well as data recovered through forensic analysis.
“I didn’t know ticket scalping was illegal, and I have faithfully paid my taxes,” the suspect said. “I haven’t harmed anyone.”
The suspect denied the allegations, but police determined there were grounds for the charges and took him into custody.
A sign warning against ticket resales stands near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul ahead of BTS’s performance on March 19.NEWS1
Police are continuing to investigate ticket scalping through group chats and other channels.
“The revised Public Performance Act took effect on Aug. 28 and expanded the scope of punishable illegal ticket resales, regardless of whether automated purchasing programs are used,” Byun Min-sun, head of the cyber investigation division at the Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency, said. “Ticket scalping is not simply a private transaction in which someone resells a ticket at a markup. It is a crime that deprives K-pop fans of a fair chance to attend performances and an unfair practice that drives up prices for ordinary consumers. We will apprehend the other suspects under investigation, thoroughly trace their criminal proceeds and work to restore order to the live entertainment market.”
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.
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