SEOUL: A woman in her 30s allegedly used a macro programme to automatically purchase about 2,600 tickets to K-pop concerts, including nine tickets to BTS’ highly sought-after Gwanghwamun performance earlier in 2026, South Korean police said on Aug 26.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said it had referred the woman to prosecutors without detention on charges of violating the Information and Communications Network Act, obstruction of business, and the Public Performance Act.
Police said the woman used the automated programme between April 2023 and March 2026 to purchase tickets to concerts by popular K-pop artists before reselling them at marked-up prices.
According to investigators, the suspect used the automated software to complete online ticket purchases faster than ordinary users while bypassing purchase limits by logging in through accounts registered under the names of relatives and acquaintances. Most K-pop concerts in South Korea limit ticket purchases to one or two tickets per person for each performance date.
Police first detected the scheme on Feb 23, during ticket sales for BTS’ Gwanghwamun concert, which took place in March.
The authorities at the time were working closely with the ticketing platform to monitor reservations amid exceptionally high public demand.
The woman allegedly obtained nine tickets to the event using the same method, but police intervened before she could resell them.
The authorities estimate that she generated around 442 million won (S$409,000) in illegal proceeds. Police have sought a pre-indictment seizure and preservation order for the alleged criminal proceeds, preventing the assets from being disposed of before trial.
Meanwhile, police also announced a separate ticket-scalping case in Ulsan.
A suspect in his 30s was arrested and referred to prosecutors after allegedly developing a macro programme to purchase more than 1,700 tickets to K-pop concerts between November 2024 and October 2025.
Police said the tickets were resold for three to 13 times their original prices, generating around 420 million won in profits.
The announcement comes days before stricter penalties for illegal ticket resales take effect.
Beginning Aug 28, revised provisions of the Public Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act will allow the South Korean authorities to impose administrative fines of up to 50 times the value of illegally resold tickets. - The Korea Herald/ANN
