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| K-pop girl group BLACKPINK / Courtesy of YG Entertainment |
By Dong Sun-hwa
The ticket price for K-pop girl group BLACKPINK's upcoming concerts in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, has soared up to 400,000 Taiwanese dollars ($13,000) ― which is nearly 45 percent higher than the original price ― due to scalping.
Local media outlet Liberty Times reported Monday that the authorities have caught two men for selling illegal tickets at a premium to more than 50 people including elementary students and university graduates.
BLACKPINK is scheduled to stage two nights of concerts at the Kaohsiung National Stadium on March 18-19. The shows are part of the quartet's largest-ever world tour, which is predicted to attract some 1.5 million fans in total.
After the news about BLACKPINK's Taiwan concerts made headlines, the price of hotels and other lodging establishments in Kaohsiung also rose significantly. One hotel, for instance, came under fire for raising the price from 5,660 Taiwanese dollars to 97,500 Taiwanese dollars.
This is not the first time that K-pop fans in Taiwan have fallen prey to scalping. Last November, the ticket price for K-pop act Super Junior's Taipei concerts spiked to 100,000 Taiwanese dollars, almost twice the regular price.
Following the row surrounding BLACKPINK's gigs, the Taiwanese Ministry of Culture said it would take effective measures to punish the scalpers.
"We already held several meetings to tackle this issue," it said. "We will amend the law so that the scalpers can be criminally punished. We will have a deliberation as soon as possible to protect the rights and interests of our public, and also continue to cooperate with the event organizers to prevent scalping in the future."
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