Ahead of BTS Comeback Concert, South Korean Government Investigates Thousands of Illegal Tickets
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| BTS (Doc. Ist) |
WartaGate.com – The government of South Korea has begun investigating suspected illegal ticket sales ahead of the comeback concert of K-Pop group BTS.
The move was taken after thousands of online posts offering concert tickets were discovered on various internet platforms, many of which are suspected to have been posted by ticket scalpers.
The investigation was announced by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The ministry stated that legal action has been initiated to crack down on unauthorized ticket resales.
In recent months, ticket scalping has become a serious concern in South Korea, especially for large-scale music events such as BTS concerts, which consistently attract massive numbers of fans.
Based on monitoring across several online marketplaces, the government found around 1,868 posts offering BTS concert tickets. Some of these listings even appeared multiple times, raising suspicions that they were being sold by scalpers.
However, the official ticket policy states that each ticket is valid for only one person and cannot be transferred to another individual.
Following these findings, the ministry asked the National Police Agency to investigate four cases involving approximately 105 tickets.
The sellers are suspected of purchasing a number of tickets for a single concert session and then reselling them at prices far higher than the original cost.
The government has also warned fans to be cautious when buying tickets from unofficial sources. Purchasing tickets from scalpers carries the risk of being denied entry to the concert venue.
This is because the organizers are implementing a strict identity verification system. Ticket holders’ identities will be directly matched with the data registered during the purchase.
With this system in place, buyers who obtain tickets from scalpers could lose their money if the tickets cannot be used.
Authorities also predict that ticket scalping and fraud could increase following the announcement of additional ticket sales. Therefore, concert organizers, ticket vendors, and online platform operators have been asked to remove any listings that violate the rules.
In addition, the government has urged the public to report any suspicious transactions. This includes the use of automated programs or macros designed to purchase large numbers of tickets in a short time.
The Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Chae Hwi-young, said that ticket scalping disrupts the healthy distribution of tickets in the performance industry.
According to him, the practice takes advantage of the strong enthusiasm fans have for popular culture.
Meanwhile, BTS is scheduled to release their fifth full album titled ARIRANG on March 20, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. local time.
A day after the album release, BTS will hold a special event titled BTS Comeback Live: ARIRANG at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul. The event will be free for fans to attend.
In addition, BTS’s paid world tour concert is scheduled to begin on April 9, 2026, in the city of Goyang.
With the massive enthusiasm from fans, the government aims to ensure that ticket sales are conducted fairly and remain free from scalping practices.
