Hotel manager accused of tricking BTS fan into canceling booking, reselling rooms at 7 times the price

Busan police referred a hotel manager in their 50s to prosecutors without detention on Wednesday over allegations that the manager deceived a guest into canceling a room reservation for BTS concerts scheduled for June 12 and 13. Police said rooms were still available when the manager claimed the hotel was overbooked, and the hotel later sold rooms at up to seven times their regular rates. The guest had to find alternative accommodation after canceling the booking. Police said they would continue monitoring establishments that repeatedly receive price-gouging complaints ahead of the Busan Fireworks Festival on Nov. 7.

The guest booked a room at the regular rate in mid-January, shortly after BTS announced its Busan concerts.

The hotel’s overbooking problem in mid-January had been resolved about a month later, police said.

Rooms were sold for 500,000 won to 600,000 won per night around the time of the cancellation, while some rooms normally priced at 90,000 won reportedly reached 650,000 won.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency’s Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit conducted a search and seizure operation and interviewed people involved in the case.

Published Nov 4, 2026 2:15 pm KST

BTS / Courtesy of BigHit Music

A hotel manager in Busan has been referred to prosecutors on fraud charges after allegedly tricking a guest into canceling a reservation for a BTS concert weekend, then reselling rooms at up to seven times their normal rates.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency's Anti-Corruption and Economic Crime Investigation Unit said Wednesday that it had referred the manager, a person in their 50s, to prosecutors without detention.

According to police, the manager allegedly contacted a guest in mid-May who had booked a hotel room at the regular rate in mid-January to attend BTS concerts scheduled for June 12 and 13 in Busan.

The manager, who was responsible for handling reservations and cancellations, allegedly falsely told the guest that the hotel had been overbooked.

"We have dozens of overbooked reservations right now, so there's nothing we can do. Please cancel your reservation through the booking website," the manager allegedly told the guest.

However, a police investigation, including a search and seizure operation and interviews with people involved, found that rooms were still available for sale at the time.

Although the hotel had experienced overbooking in mid-January, shortly after BTS announced its Busan concerts, the problem had been resolved about a month later.

Unaware of this, the guest believed the manager's explanation, canceled the reservation and had to find alternative accommodation.

Police found that the hotel sold rooms for 500,000 won ($350) to 600,000 won per night, roughly six to seven times the regular rate, around the time of the cancellation.

Some rooms normally priced at 90,000 won per night were reportedly resold for as much as 650,000 won.

The case comes amid renewed concerns over excessive accommodation prices ahead of the Busan Fireworks Festival, scheduled for Saturday.

"With another controversy emerging over excessive hotel rates ahead of the Busan Fireworks Festival on Nov. 7, we plan to continue monitoring establishments that repeatedly receive complaints about price gouging," a police official said.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, was translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

釜山警方周三将一名50多岁的酒店经理移交检方，但未对其进行拘留。该经理涉嫌欺骗一名客人取消预订，该客人原本预订的是6月12日和13日BTS演唱会的房间。警方称，该经理谎称酒店超额预订，但实际上仍有空房，之后酒店却以高达正常价格七倍的价格出售房间。客人取消预订后不得不另寻住处。警方表示，在11月7日釜山烟火节前，他们将继续密切关注那些屡次接到哄抬物价投诉的商家。

这位客人于一月中旬以正常价格预订了房间，当时距离 BTS 宣布釜山演唱会仅不久。

警方表示，该酒店一月中旬出现的超额预订问题在大约一个月后得到解决。

在取消预订前后，房间售价为每晚 50 万至 60 万韩元，而一些通常售价为 9 万韩元的房间据说涨到了 65 万韩元。

釜山地方警察厅反腐败经济犯罪调查组进行了搜查扣押行动，并对案件相关人员进行了讯问。

发布于2026年11月4日下午2:15（韩国标准时间）

BTS / 图片由 BigHit Music 提供

釜山一家酒店的经理因涉嫌欺骗一名客人取消BTS演唱会周末的预订，然后以高达正常价格七倍的价格重新出售房间，已被移交检察官以欺诈罪名起诉。

釜山地方警察厅反腐败经济犯罪调查组周三表示，已将这名50多岁的经理移交检方，但并未对其进行拘留。

据警方称，该经理涉嫌于 5 月中旬联系了一位客人，该客人于 1 月中旬以正常价格预订了酒店房间，准备参加定于 6 月 12 日和 13 日在釜山举行的 BTS 演唱会。

负责处理预订和取消事宜的经理据称谎称酒店已超额预订。

据称，经理告诉客人：“我们现在有几十个超额预订的房间，所以我们无能为力。请通过预订网站取消您的预订。”

然而，警方调查，包括搜查和扣押行动以及对相关人员的讯问，发现当时仍有房间可供出售。

虽然这家酒店在 1 月中旬，也就是 BTS 宣布釜山演唱会后不久，出现了超额预订的情况，但大约一个月后，这个问题就得到了解决。

由于不知情，这位客人相信了经理的解释，取消了预订，不得不另寻住处。

警方发现，在取消预订前后，该酒店以每晚 50 万韩元（350 美元）至 60 万韩元的价格出售房间，大约是正常价格的六到七倍。

据报道，一些通常每晚价格为 90,000 韩元的房间被转售至高达 650,000 韩元的价格。

正值釜山烟火节（定于周六举行）临近之际，人们对住宿价格过高的担忧再次加剧，而此案也随之而来。

“11月7日釜山烟火节前夕，酒店价格过高再次引发争议，我们将继续监控那些屡次收到哄抬物价投诉的场所，”一位警方官员表示。

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。