Scalper arrested for reselling idol concert tickets at up to 13 times face value

South Korean police have arrested a scalper who allegedly amassed over 420 million won by reselling popular idol concert tickets at exorbitant prices. The suspect, identified only as 'A,' 35, is accused of using 1,198 foreign-registered accounts to purchase more than 1,700 tickets between November 2024 and October 2025. These tickets were then resold on a second-hand trading website for up to 13 times their original value, with some 210,000 won tickets fetching 2.73 million won. Police reported that 'A' developed a custom macro program to bypass ticketing site security measures, allowing them to buy 70-80 tickets per minute. The investigation was initiated at the request of the Korea Creative Content Agency. Authorities seized approximately 200 million won in cash, a luxury sports car, and designer watches from 'A's residence, and have sought to freeze these assets as proceeds of crime. Police are also examining 'A's connections and financial transactions, including the purchase of personal information from foreign nationals via social media.