Famous K-Pop Agency Reveals Prison Sentences For Ticket Scalpers Who Generated Billions Of Won In Profit From Scam

Seventeen‘s agency Pledis Entertainment has announced that professional scalpers who illegally resold the group’s concert tickets — and generated billions of won in profit from the scam — have received prison sentences.

Pledis Entertainment released an official statement on September 28 sharing the results of the investigation and trial. The agency said, “We have closely cooperated with investigative authorities to catch and punish professional scalpers who have been illegally trading tickets for our artists’ concerts.”

According to the agency, some of the recently arrested professional scalpers were sentenced to one year and eight months, and one year and four months in prison, respectively. The combined amount ordered for forfeiture exceeds 1 billion won.

Earlier, in March, Pledis Entertainment reported that a group of scalpers who used macro programs to buy up large quantities of concert tickets and resell them at inflated prices — earning roughly 7 billion won in illicit profits — had been arrested by police. At the time, the agency said it had participated in on-site crackdowns and monitoring and submitted relevant materials to investigators.

Pledis Entertainment is continuing its investigation into other professional scalpers, including those based overseas. The agency stated, “We will continue to track down and take strict action, without leniency, against ticket scalping by professional scalpers.”

Source: (A)