Tickets at 220,000 won sold for 680,000 won…Multiple ticket scalpers arrested for BTS Busan show

Black hands targeting a global festival, 'BTS' Busan show 'ticket scalping' operation smashed

The 'BTS' Busan stop of its world tour drew intense global attention. Behind the glitz, illegal 'ticket scalping' deals aimed at foreign visitors were spotted by police watching closely. The 'Busan Metropolitan Police Agency' said it deployed a large force of about 70 officers across the main stadium area at Busan Asiad on both days of the 12th and 13th and carried out a sweeping crackdown. As a result, police caught a total of 10 illegal transactions and imposed fines of 160,000 won each on 11 people, applying a strict standard of the law.

The unvarnished reality behind the crimes was pure greed. A markup of more than three times the face value was standard, and foreigners with limited knowledge of local geography were turned into the main targets. Here are major illegal ticket-scaling cases police identified:

• Kim, Mook (in his 40s): attempted to sell tickets worth 220,000 won to a Chinese woman for 680,000 won, caught at the scene

• Korean sellers: four additional cases spotted in which 220,000 won tickets were resold to foreigners for 350,000 won to 550,000 won

• Chinese men in their 20s: sold 'ticket scalping' to target their fellow citizens and Filipinos for sale to others, then were caught

• B (in his 30s), a Korean man: arrested by police dispatched after a 112 report while arranging transactions for Chinese customers

Their methods were calculated and crafty. A scheme circulated in which the 'wristbands' provided for entry were cut and then secretly passed to the buyers. A 'Busan Metropolitan Police Agency' official said, "The sale and purchase of 'ticket scalping' that undermines the international standing of K-pop and corrodes healthy concert culture is a clear criminal act," adding, "In the future, we will continue strong crackdowns without exceptions at mass gatherings such as large-scale concerts and sports events."