Concerns are growing that ticket scalping could resurface ahead of BTS’ comeback performance at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square.
According to the concert industry on Thursday, general ticket reservations for “BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang (ARIRANG),” set for March 21 around Gwanghwamun Square, will open at 8:00 p.m. on Feb. 23 through NOL Ticket.
Reservations will be open to anyone, with no separate restrictions. The venue is expected to have about 15,000 to 17,000 spots combining standing and reserved areas. Sections will be divided between standing and reserved seating. Of the standing area, 2,000 spots will be allocated to ARMY membership holders who preordered the new “Arirang” album and entered a drawing.
The show will be free. Still, critics warn that the same problems seen at past free events could return. When BTS held a free concert in 2022 to support Busan’s bid to host the World Expo, scalping was widespread. VIP tickets that were hard to verify reportedly climbed as high as 4 million won, and tickets for the free show were sold for cash through social media and open chat rooms. Other workarounds also spread, including moving ticket IDs using illegal macro programs.
Some expect the government to step up efforts to block scalping, as Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Choi Hwi-young has repeatedly called it “a chronic disease.” At a reporters’ briefing Wednesday, Choi said, “We’re watching it closely, since we’ve experienced the scalping problem before.” He added, “It’s hard to disclose countermeasures because if we do, (scalpers) could find ways around them.” He said the government would “do our best so nothing unpleasant happens.”
Choi also said the head of HYBE participates in the Popular Culture Exchange Committee’s pop music subcommittee. “For urgent matters, they contact me directly,” he said, adding that working-level discussions are focused on safety and traffic issues.
Amendments to the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act, aimed at a scalping market estimated at more than 100 billion won, passed the National Assembly on Jan. 29. The revisions ban all fraudulent purchases and resales, including unfair sales using macro programs.
Choi said the law would likely take effect “around fall,” and that the government would first launch a campaign urging people not to engage in scalping. “My dream is to see articles this fall — when the postseason and concerts overlap — saying scalping has disappeared,” he said.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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