Korean Fan Reports A Scalper… Then Gets The Most Unexpected Response From IU’s Concert Producer

While Korea has an anti-scalping law in place, it is limited to transactions done offline. Taking advantage of this loophole, online ticket resellers have been running rampant—inflating ticket costs and making concerts inaccessible. In response, the Korean government has mandated the Ministry of Culture and the Korea Creative Content Agency to establish an online reporting center. As of June 2023, The Korea Times reported, Korea has been running “a special campaign to eradicate scalping.”

IU at her “I+UN1VER5E” concert. | @iu_bluewing/Twitter

So when a long-time IU fan @blbemoon_u came across a scalper, offering tickets for the soloist’s first-ever fan concert, “I+UN1VER5E,” a report was filed.  Following the action taken, @blbemoon_u decided to give up on the concert…

현판까지 가서 못 구하면
진짜로 멘탈이 바스라질 것 같은데
그냥 깔끔하게 포기해야할까요….?
아님 일단 가고 생각할까요

— 블베문 (????) (@blbemoon_u) September 21, 2023

I could attempt offline sales at the box office on the day of the concert. But if I end up not getting the tickets, I know it’s going to break my heart. Should I just give up…? Or should I at least try showing up to the box office and see what happens?

— @blbemoon_u

…except KONGYEONTEAM, the concert producers, had a different idea.

The producers followed through with the filed report, tracked down the scalper, and confiscated the tickets that were being sold on the internet. Then, KONGYEONTEAM sent @blbemoon_u an unexpected message!

[Sent From Web] Hello. We are KONGYEONTEAM, the producers behind IU’s <2023 Fan Concert ‘I+UN1VER5E’>. This message is regarding the illegal ticket reseller that you reported to us. Based on the information you provided in the report, we’ve tracked the reseller and confiscated the tickets. We also confirmed that you do not have tickets to the concert. Therefore, we would like to deliver the confiscated tickets to you.

— KONGYEONTEAM

@blbemoon_u tweeted in complete disbelief:

저…. 꿈 같아요 아직도
너무 울어서 지금 제정신이 아닌데
이거 맞죠….? pic.twitter.com/Qenw3uMpmV

— 블베문 (????) (@blbemoon_u) September 22, 2023

I… still feel like I’m dreaming. I cried so much that I’m not thinking right. Is this message telling me what I think it’s telling me?!

— @blbemoon_u

Thanks to KONGYEONTEAM rewarding their act of righteousness, @blbemoon_u was able to see IU live!

지으니와 유애나는 행복했대요
???????? pic.twitter.com/I7D16kMGuJ

— 블베문 (????) (@blbemoon_u) September 23, 2023

Jieun and her fans had a great time.

— @blbemoon_u

When @blbemoon_u’s experience went viral, K-Pop fans from both Korea and around the world congratulated their win, celebrated the producers for taking the step in the right direction, and demanded for more management companies to do the same.

| theqoo

• “This will act as a great precedent for all other performances.”
• “As deserved…! The producers know what they’re doing. So envious.”
• “I heard that if you report someone and you already have tickets, they reward you with never-seen-before photocards instead.”
• “Even if it’s one scalper at a time… This is great work. We need to eradicate scalpers. I hate that they can make such big money by breaking the system.”
• “Wow, this is great!”
• “Oh, whoa. This is the best!”
• “Daebak.“
• “What a great idea!”
• “Dang. IU’s team works hard! I wish my bias’s management would take some f*cking notes. This reminds me of the concert I missed because of all the scalpers…”

According to Koreans, reporting scalpers takes extra work from the reporting side because, without detailed information about the reseller, the report can go unfiled.  Yet, even with the complicated reporting steps, Koreans continue to put in all the efforts in hopes of ending scalpers for good.