30s Who Scammed by Selling "Lim Young-woong·BTS Concert Tickets"... Sentence Reduced?

Cheated 30 People Online to Extort 80 Million Won
Appeals Court Reduces Sentence by 2 Months, Considering Partial Repayment

A man in his 30s who defrauded over 30 people of 80 million won by falsely claiming to sell concert tickets for famous singers such as Lim Young-woong and BTS received a reduced sentence in the appellate court.

Mr. A (30) was prosecuted on charges of extorting 80 million won from more than 30 people by posting online advertisements claiming to sell concert tickets for famous singers over a three-month period starting in August last year. Investigations revealed that he committed this crime about four months after being released from prison, where he had served a sentence for fraud.

In response, the Wonju Branch of Chuncheon District Court, which handled the first trial, sentenced Mr. A to three years in prison for fraud. The court stated, “Among the victims, a significant number were foreigners interested in Hallyu, so the defendant damaged the country's external image. The restitution to the victims was minimal, and the defendant has been sentenced to imprisonment for fraud five times before,” explaining the reasons for the sentence.

Mr. A appealed, claiming “the sentence is too harsh,” and on the 27th, the Criminal Division 1 of Chuncheon District Court (Presiding Judge Shim Hyun-geun) overturned the original sentence and sentenced him to two years and ten months in prison.

Singer Lim Young-woong's performance scene
[Image source=Provided by Mulgogi Music]

The court explained, “Considering that the defendant has shown remorse, repaid some victims during the investigation phase, and additionally repaid a total of 6 million won to some victims during this trial, the original sentence is somewhat heavy and deemed unfair.”

Scalping has long been an issue at sports games, concerts, musicals, and performances where the number of attendees is limited. In cases like concerts by Lim Young-woong or BTS, where tickets are hard to obtain, scalpers exploit fans’ desire to attend even if they have to pay extra. According to the Korea Creative Content Agency, reports of online scalping have surged from 359 cases in 2020 to 785 in 2021, and 4,224 in 2022.

The industry views scalpers’ methods as becoming more sophisticated and specialized, operating like large-scale criminal organizations. During pop singer Bruno Mars’ Korea tour in April last year, scalping activities involving the sale of eight tickets for 180 million won were uncovered, sparking controversy. Fraudulent acts like those committed by Mr. A continue to occur in this context.

According to a “Survey on Performance Ticket Booking and Scalping Users” conducted last year by the Korea Music Label Industry Association, 26.1% of 572 respondents reported having experienced fraud when purchasing tickets. Most victims lose between 50,000 and 200,000 won (57.2%), so many do not report the incidents. Fraud methods such as creating fake payment links or third-party transactions have become more sophisticated, making detection difficult.