Seoul police investigate ticket fraud related to BTS's comeback concert, focusing on macro program abuse and scams involving fake tickets.
March/9/2026 17:06
The police, having received a report that abuse of macro programs is suspected in relation to ticket purchases for BTS's (Bangtan Sonyeondan) comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square, have begun an investigation. On the 9th, Park Jung-bo, the head of the Seoul Police Agency, revealed at a regular press conference that they are investigating three criminal acts related to ticket sales, stating, 'There has been a request for investigation from the ticket sales management company, NOLYUNIVERSE, regarding the situation of macro program abuse suspicion.' Chief Park warned, 'Using macros to purchase tickets could lead to potential complicity, and there is a risk of personal information being stolen. Demanding money under the guise of selling tickets is almost fraud.' He continued, 'The remaining cases involve victims who have suffered fraud disguised as ticket sales, with amounts ranging from at least 150,000 won (about 1,500 yen) to nearly 300,000 won (about 3,000 yen).' He also mentioned another case, which is a fraudulent transfer of tickets for the next performance rather than this one. There are concerns about criminal acts that falsely claim to allow ticket purchases using macros despite being unable to buy tickets, as well as the illegal reservation and bulk purchase of tickets through macro programs, followed by resale at inflated prices. The police reported that they have discovered over 110 fraudulent posts related to 'proxy ticket purchases,' 'fraudulent sales of tickets after reservation at high prices,' and 'fraudulent sales of false or counterfeit tickets,' and have requested their deletion and blocking. Chief Park stated regarding the ticket fraud related to BTS's performance, 'A dedicated team is thoroughly prepared, and each police station has designated 1-2 teams to monitor and begin investigations swiftly.' To manage the expected crowd of up to 260,000 on the performance day, 4,800 personnel, including riot police and local police, will be deployed. Additionally, special police units will be stationed on the front lines to prepare for potential weapon misuse, vehicle incursions, and terrorism, implementing checkpoints and searches for safety management. - Unusual measures taken for BTS's comeback performance... KT Corporation building in Gwanghwamun to be fully closed - BTS expresses candid thoughts before comeback! Video with all seven members becomes a hot topic, 'We want to be on stage soon.'
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