[Sportschosun Reporter Baek Ji-eun] BTS's agency has cracked down on ticket scalpers and malicious commenters.
Big Hit Music said on the 28th, "We continue to track down those who post insulting or defamatory content targeting the artists. Even if such posts are made on anonymous online communities overseas, they are not exempt from criminal punishment. In fact, malicious actors who recently posted defamatory and insulting content about the artists on various anonymous online communities have received summary-procedure dispositions and rulings resulting in fines, meaning that actual legal penalties are being imposed."
The agency added, "Beyond simply using slanderous or insulting expressions about the artists, encouraging and spreading false rumors and fake news about their albums, concerts, and other content, as well as repeatedly and systematically posting false information across multiple online communities, also constitutes an infringement of the artists' rights and a defamation of their reputations, and is subject to criminal punishment under the Criminal Act. We are responding to suspects apprehended through complaints and investigative procedures under a zero-tolerance policy, without any leniency."
Regarding ticket scalpers, the agency declared, "A suspect who earned more than KRW 2 billion by selling concert tickets at prices dozens of times higher than face value has been arrested and referred to prosecutors on charges of obstructing business and violating the Public Performance Act. We actively cooperated with investigative authorities from the earliest stages of the investigation, including by submitting a petition calling for severe punishment. We will continue to do our utmost to eliminate practices such as ticket scalping that disrupt order in the concert market."
Cybercrime Investigation Team 2 of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency recently referred a man in his 30s to prosecutors under arrest for allegedly using a macro program to purchase large quantities of tickets and resell them. The man, identified as Mr. A, reportedly obtained a total of 8,967 tickets from September 2018 through April this year and resold them for about KRW 2.4 billion, earning approximately KRW 1.6 billion in net profit. He sold BTS concert tickets originally priced in the KRW 110,000 range for KRW 3 million each.
BTS won the Song of the Year award, regarded as the top prize, at the U.S. MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) for "Swim," the title track of their fifth studio album, Arirang. They also won all three categories in which they had been nominated, including Best K-Pop and Best Group.
Baek Ji-eun, Reporter silk781220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
