Police in South Korea have vowed to crack down on ticket scalping for the upcoming BTS concerts in Seoul, with some tickets being priced at more than £5,000 each.
BTS will perform as a full unit for the first time in four years at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21.
The show, which will also be streamed live on Netflix, will launch an 82-date world tour covering 34 cities, including three more shows in Goyang.
However, ticket scalping has partly overshadowed the band’s return. When tickets officially went on sale, the most expensive were available at KRW264,000 (£133/$175/€154).
According to Korea JoongAng Daily, resale tickets for seats closest to the main stage were listed at up to £5,240.
South Korea’s Ministry of Culture detected 1,868 resale posts in relation to BTS tickets.
Four suspected cases, involving 105 tickets, were referred to the National Police Agency for investigation.
South Korean police have already taken action, arresting several members of a network accused of making more than £3m in illicit profits.
In addition, police have discovered links to online ticket scams, with people having lost between £75 and £151 to fraudulent listings impersonating legitimate ticket sales.
“Ticket scalping disrupts the fair distribution of performances and exploits the genuine passion of fans for popular culture,” culture minister Choi Hwi Young said, according to The Independent.
“Starting with this investigation request, we will continue taking firm action until illegal ticket sales are eradicated and a fair viewing culture is established. Scalping will disappear if there are no buyers.”
