Korea Arrests Suspect Accused of Reselling Nearly 9,000 Event Tickets
Police say a man used automated purchasing tools and relatives’ accounts to generate about 2.4 billion won in ticket-resale revenue over more than seven years.
South Korean police have arrested a man in his 30s accused of buying and reselling nearly 9,000 tickets for K-pop concerts, sporting events and other high-demand performances, in a case that highlights the scale and sophistication of the country’s illegal ticket market.
The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said Thursday that the suspect had been referred to prosecutors on charges including obstruction of business and violations of the Public Performance Act. Prosecutors have since indicted him.
Investigators allege that the man purchased 8,967 tickets between September 2018 and early April 2026 by using automated macro programs and accounts held by relatives. He then resold the tickets at substantial markups, producing about 2.4 billion won, or roughly $1.74 million, in revenue. Police estimated that approximately 1.6 billion won of that amount was profit.
Among the transactions cited by police was a ticket for a 2019 BTS concert at Jamsil Sports Complex. The suspect allegedly bought it for 110,000 won and resold it for 3 million won, more than 27 times the original price. Authorities also pointed to tickets for performances by Stray Kids, Seventeen and Bruno Mars, as well as a football match between Team K League and Tottenham Hotspur.
Police said ticket resale became the suspect’s main source of income after he graduated from university. He allegedly registered an e-commerce business to make the operation appear legitimate and to reduce scrutiny of the large sums moving through his bank account. Investigators also said he participated in a social media group chat with more than 1,300 members, where users exchanged information about automated buying programs, available tickets and police enforcement.
According to police, the proceeds were used to buy an apartment and two commercial properties in Gyeonggi Province. The apartment had already been sold, but authorities identified two remaining commercial properties and financial claims with a combined value of 1.26 billion won as suspected criminal proceeds and sought to freeze them before indictment.
The suspect allegedly stopped selling tickets in April after police arrested 16 people linked to a large ticket-scalping ring operating through the same online community. Police said he closed his business registration and reset computers and phones after learning about that crackdown, but investigators recovered data through digital forensic analysis and evidence seized from his home.
The case comes as South Korea broadens its response to ticket scalping. Revised laws that took effect on August 28 expanded punishable resale offenses beyond cases involving macro software, allowing enforcement against illegal ticket resales even when automated purchasing tools were not used. Police said investigations into other suspected scalpers connected to the online network are continuing.