South Korean Police Arrest Scalper Accused of Reselling Nearly 9,000 Tickets

South Korean police have arrested a man accused of operating a large-scale ticket-scalping business that targeted some of the country’s most in-demand concerts and sporting events.

The Gyeonggi Bukbu Provincial Police Agency said the man, who is in his 30s, used automated macro programs and multiple ticketing accounts to purchase 8,967 tickets between September 2018 and April 2026. He then allegedly resold them at substantial markups, generating approximately ₩2.4 billion in total sales. Police estimate roughly two-thirds of that amount was profit.

K-pop concerts were among the events targeted. Police cited a ticket to BTS’s 2019 concert at Seoul’s Jamsil Olympic Stadium that was purchased for ₩110,000 and resold for ₩3 million. A ₩110,000 ticket to a 2025 SEVENTEEN fan meeting was reportedly resold for ₩1.8 million, while Stray Kids tickets originally priced at ₩165,000 were sold for as much as ₩2 million.

The operation extended beyond K-pop. Tickets for Bruno Mars’s 2023 concert in Seoul and the 2024 Team K League match against Tottenham Hotspur were also resold at steep premiums. Some of the alleged markups approached 30 times face value.

Investigators say the suspect used accounts belonging to family members and relatives and participated in a large social-media group chat used to exchange scalping information and macro programs. Tickets were transferred through methods including changing delivery addresses, online account transfers and handing over entry wristbands at venues.

Police also traced the proceeds into real estate and other assets. Authorities secured a pre-indictment preservation order covering approximately ₩1.26 billion in commercial properties and financial assets that they allege were connected to the scalping operation.

The suspect has been referred to prosecutors while in custody. The case arrives weeks after strengthened anti-scalping provisions under South Korea’s revised Performing Arts Act took effect on August 28, expanding penalties aimed at illegal ticket purchasing and resale.

President Lee Jae-myung referenced the case on Thursday while calling for continued enforcement against ticket scalping and recovery of illicit profits.

The investigation gives authorities a significant early enforcement example as South Korea intensifies its effort to curb a resale market that has increasingly affected access to high-demand K-pop concerts.