Court sentences 2-year jail term for concert ticket scam

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Seoul Eastern District Court on Wednesday sentenced a 29-year-old man to two years in prison for pretending to sell concert tickets and making some 12.4 million won ($9,200) in illegal profit.

From April of August of last year, the defendant surnamed Lee posted notices on various websites that he was selling tickets for concerts, amusement parks and gift certificates at a discounted price, scamming 67 people. He lured the victims by saying he was selling tickets that had already sold out, using different nicknames and bank accounts to avoid the authorities.

Lee was charged with fraud and embezzlement for a separate case after he spent and refused to return 80,000 won that had been mistakenly wired to him.

The court said the defendant has not reimbursed the victims for the illegal profit, but has no previous criminal record and has had no family to support him, which is why the court decided on the lower end of criminal punishment. South Korean law stipulates that those found guilty of fraud are to be punished by up to 10 years in prison or up to a 20 million won ($14,930) fine.

Lee has appealed the case.

A similar case was sentenced last week by a Seoul court, when a defendant was given a six-year jail term for a K-pop concert ticket scam. The defendant in the case made 595 million won in profit.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)