Ahead of a special box office "thank-you" stage greeting for the 12-million-viewer hit film The King's Warden, alleged ticket scalping has been detected. After BTS concerts recently sparked controversy over scalpers, a similar scandal is now erupting in the movie world.
On the 11th, Showbox posted a warning about scalper transactions on its official social media account. Showbox stated, "We have confirmed indications of ticket scalping for the stage greeting scheduled for March 17 on certain social media platforms and secondhand marketplaces," adding, "Purchasing tickets through illegal channels outside designated vendors, and buying or selling tickets above face value, are acts that damage a healthy moviegoing culture."
That day, secondhand movie ticket marketplaces showedThe King's Warden stage-greeting tickets listed for as high as 700,000 won per seat. Considering that the average adult movie ticket costs around 15,000 won, the sky-high markup—dozens of times the face value—is fueling controversy.
Meanwhile, ahead of BTS's Gwanghwamun performance on the 21st, suspected scalping cases were uncovered. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced it would strengthen enforcement against scalpers, while HYBE said it would open additional sales at 8 p.m. on the 12th via the online ticketing site NOL Ticket.