HYBE and its affiliated labels have taken a hard-line approach against ticket scalpers who profited from the unauthorized resale of concert tickets for popular acts like BTS and Seventeen, submitting a petition for severe punishment.
On Monday, Big Hit Music, BTS’s label under HYBE, announced via the official fan community platform Weverse that a suspect had been arrested and charged with obstruction of business and violations of the Performance Act. The individual allegedly made over 20 billion KRW (approximately 14.7 million USD) by selling concert tickets at exorbitant prices, sometimes dozens of times higher than face value, using illegal macros and organized scalping tactics with stolen identities.
Earlier, on September16, the Cyber Crime Investigation Unit 2 of the Northern Gyeonggi Police Agency had arrested and charged a man in his 30s, identified only as A, for obstruction of business.
A is accused of using automated programs and hijacked accounts to purchase 8,967 tickets for high-demand performances from September 2018 to April 2023, which he then resold for approximately 24 billion KRW (about 17.7 million USD).
In a twist that underscores the lucrative nature of ticket scalping, A reportedly used his ill-gotten gains to purchase one apartment and two commercial properties. At the time of his arrest, he had already offloaded the apartment. Law enforcement has identified and frozen assets worth 12.643 billion KRW (around 9.3 million USD), including the two commercial properties and various financial instruments in A’s name, as proceeds of crime.
Big Hit Music responded to the developments, stating that they’ve been actively cooperating with investigators from the outset, including submitting a petition for harsh sentencing. The label added that it remains committed to stamping out ticket scalping and other practices that undermine the integrity of the concert market.
Pledis Entertainment, another HYBE subsidiary, has also initiated legal action against scalpers.
On Monday, Pledis released a statement through Seventeen’s official fan community platform: It has been working closely with law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute professional scalpers who’ve been illegally trading tickets for the artists’ shows. The company reported that some of the recently arrested scalpers received prison sentences of 1 year and 8 months and 1 year and 4 months, respectively, along with a combined asset forfeiture exceeding 10 billion KRW (approximately 7.4 million USD).
Pledis added that investigations are ongoing into other professional scalpers, particularly those operating internationally, and it’s fully cooperating with authorities. The label emphasized its zero-tolerance policy: It will relentlessly pursue these professional scalpers and respond with the full force of the law to any illegal ticket transactions.
The entertainment industry is now watching with keen interest to see how HYBE’s aggressive stance will impact the pervasive issue of ticket scalping.
