Korean Man Scams Over $160,000 With Fake BTS Concert And Taeyeon Fan Meetings

A man in his 40’s, referred to as Mr. Yang, was found guilty of scamming 185 million won (~$165,000 USD) by promising event organizers that he’ll secure top celebrity attendances, like BTS and Taeyeon. Mr. Yang was trialed for multiple charges including fraud, embezzlement, forgery, and more. The Seoul Central District Court ultimately sentenced him to prison for 1 year and 6 months, 3 year suspension and 200 hours of community service.

Back in January 2017, Mr. Yang approached an events coordinator by the name of Mr. Im. Mr. Yang claimed to have extensive experience in casting celebrities. At the time, Mr. Im was in charge of coordinating BTS’s solo concert in Macau for July of that same year. Mr. Yang lied to Mr. Im, claiming that BTS has already confirmed their appearance with him and will only need to sign a contract. Mr. Im fell for his lies and sent him 50 million won (~$50,000 USD) as a contractual deposit.

That wasn’t the first time Mr. Yang scammed an events coordinator by using a top celebrity’s name. Back in June 2016, Mr. Yang made an employee photoshop a fake poster for a fan meeting with Taeyeon. He claimed to be planning a fan meeting with Taeyeon worth over 210 million won (~$190,000 USD). He forged a fake contract using the names of SM Entertainment‘s executive directors and a company identified as “D”.

Mr. Yang then showed this to a man identified as Mr. Lee. He claimed that Company D, SM Entertainment, and his own company was planning another Taeyeon fan meeting in Taiwan. He persuaded Mr. Lee to invest 135 million won (~$120,000 USD) to the fake event.

The presiding judge made a statement that defended Mr. Yang’s sentencing to prison, suspension, and community service.

“[Mr. Yang] had no intent or ability to cast celebrities, but tricked the victims out of 185 million won with false casting contracts. Along with his crimes, he delayed the investigation by distorting evidence and facts.”

— Presiding Judge