Man arrested for scalping 8,967 K-pop and sports tickets worth 2.4 billion won over 7 years

8,967 tickets, 2.4 billion won, one arrest

Gyeonggi Northern Police Agency's Cyber Crime Investigation Unit 2 sent a man in his 30s, identified only as A, to prosecutors on September 16 on charges of obstruction of business. The operation ran from September 2018 to April 2026—nearly eight years—during which A resold 8,967 tickets to concerts and sports events for a combined 2.4 billion won. Police estimate roughly two-thirds of that figure was pure profit.

The markup ceiling was approximately 30 times face value. A 2019 BTS concert at Seoul's Jamsil Sports Complex is the headline example: face value 110,000 won, resale price 3,000,000 won. Other confirmed transactions include a SEVENTEEN fan meeting ticket flipped from 110,000 won to 1.8 million won, a 2024 Team K League vs. Tottenham football match ticket from 400,000 won to 1.65 million won, and a 2023 Bruno Mars Seoul concert ticket from 250,000 won to 1.2 million won.

How he ran it like a business

A used macro programs—automated input repetition—and opened accounts under the names of seven family members and relatives to bulk-purchase tickets the moment they went on sale. He resold them by changing delivery addresses, transferring tickets online, or handing over entry wristbands in person at venues. To disguise the operation, he registered a formal e-commerce business, making the income appear legitimate on paper.

He was also a member of what police describe as the country's largest scalping SNS group chat, which shut down in early 2026. Through that channel he shared scalping intelligence and received macro programs.

When news broke in March 2026 that police had dismantled a large-scale scalping cartel, A stopped sales. He closed the business he had run for seven years and formatted both his PC and mobile phone in an attempt to destroy evidence. Police recovered the data anyway through USB forensics and mobile phone digital analysis.

Assets seized, charges denied

A had already converted the proceeds into property: one apartment and two commercial buildings in Gyeonggi Province. The apartment has since been sold off. Before indictment, police froze the two commercial buildings and 1,264,391,199 won in deposits and bonds held in A's name.

A denied the charges, stating he did not know scalping was illegal, that he had paid taxes faithfully, and that he had caused no harm to others.

Police pushed back directly: "Scalping is a crime that deprives K-pop fans of legitimate viewing opportunities and constitutes unfair conduct that disrupts consumer prices." They also noted that a revised Performance Act took effect on August 28, 2026, making illegal resale punishable regardless of whether a macro program was used. Other suspects remain under investigation.