Organized Ticket Scam Ring in K-Pop Concerts Generates Over 7.1 Billion Won in Illegal Transactions; Stricter Legal Penalties Imposed

An organized ticket scam ring operating within K-Pop concerts has been uncovered. A special episode focusing on this issue aired on May 4 as part of MBC Every1’s program “Hidden Eye,” specifically within the segment “Kwon Il-yong’s Crime Rules.”

This scam ring acquired large quantities of tickets for popular idol concerts, including those of G-Dragon, SEVENTEEN, and BLACKPINK, and resold them at exorbitant prices. In the detected transactions, tickets originally priced at 200,000 won were sold for up to 5 million won, resulting in profits that reached as much as 25 times the original cost. It was revealed that these criminals earned approximately 7.1 billion won through this method.

The transaction scene turned into a highly tense situation unexpectedly. The situation rapidly changed when a buyer suddenly altered their attitude, leaving the program hosts visibly shocked. This moment highlighted the dangers associated with organized ticket scams and the serious legal implications they entail.

Legal regulations against ticket scams are being strengthened. Previously, under the Petty Crime Punishment Act, only direct face-to-face transactions at the scene could be fined up to 200,000 won, while online transactions remained unpunished. To address this gap, an amendment to the Performance Act was passed in February 2023 and took effect on March 22, 2024, establishing legal grounds for punishing ticket scalping using macros. Such activities—where tickets are bought in bulk via macros and then resold at higher prices—now carry penalties of up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.

Further legislative reforms followed. On January 29, 2026, the National Assembly passed amendments to the National Sports Promotion Act and the Performance Act that intensified penalties for illegal ticket trading. The new revisions clearly designate any act of selling tickets illegally as punishable, regardless of whether macros are used, and also impose legal responsibility on online platforms that have facilitated such scams. Under the revised laws, fines can reach up to 50 times the amount of money involved in the sales.