K-pop agencies split domestic and global presales as scalping drives ticket prices up to 51x face value

K-pop agencies are restructuring how concert tickets reach fans, splitting domestic and global fanclub presale windows into separate queues. The move comes as scalping has pushed resale prices to 18–51 times face value.

Tickets for BLACKPINK, aespa, RIIZE, and ZEROBASEONE concerts were traded on secondary sites at those multiples above official prices, which sit in the 100,000–200,000 won range, according to the Korea Creative Content Agency.

ENHYPEN provided the clearest example. Presales for their world tour Blood Saga, set for Busan in August, split across a domestic page and a global page with a one-day interval between windows. Belift Lab, the HYBE subsidiary behind the group, wasn't alone. SM Entertainment's aespa and NCT Dream, plus JYP Entertainment's Stray Kids, also separated their fanclub presale schedules into domestic and global categories.

An official at a major agency explained the reasoning: "The domestic fanclub presale is a measure to minimize inconvenience to fans caused by overseas scalpers. It is not allocating all seats to domestic fans, but rather operating by separating domestic and global presale opportunities."

Culture critic Park Song-ah rejected any reading of the split as regional favoritism. "The recent separation of domestic and global presales is closer to an operational strategy to distribute presale opportunities more fairly among different fan groups," she said. Concert planning now has to balance fan experience and satisfaction with box office performance. She also noted that "K-pop's competitiveness is the result of both domestic and global fans building it together" and that the presale process "must be designed to be fair and predictable." (Sufficient inventory and transparent operations both have to be in place for it to work.)

Separately, Bithumb announced on July 8 that it will exclusively open advance reservations for preview performances of the Korean premiere of the musical Frozen. Preview dates are August 9, 11, and 12. Bithumb members can book from 11 AM on July 9 via the Bithumb app or website after member authentication—a full week before general sales open on July 16 at 11 AM through Clip Service. Members receive a 10% discount on all seats for both the presale and general sale windows.

The program is the first under Musical Sharing (뮤지컬로 나눔), the opening initiative of Bithumb's social contribution campaign Bithumb Sharing Project. A portion of ticket revenue will be donated to those in need. A Bithumb official said the company plans to "continuously expand the 'Sharing' series and spread social value based on diverse cultural content."