“I’d like to buy RIIZE’s April flight schedule.”
“That’ll be 500 won.”
The payment was made via KakaoTalk’s anonymous Open Chat. Less than a minute later, a message came through: “Korea→LA, Apr. 8, OZ204.” It was an Asiana Airlines flight number. “You’ll need to check the time and gate yourself,” the seller added. A quick search showed the flight was scheduled to depart at 8:40 p.m. Was the information accurate?
By the afternoon of Apr. 8, Incheon International Airport was packed with female fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the six-member boy group. Four hours ahead of departure, plastic chairs were already lined up near the airport’s outdoor gate, and, as expected, high-powered telephoto “cannon” lenses began to appear. The information proved reliable—RIIZE was in fact spotted at the airport that day.
Stray Kids, ZEROBASEONE, BOYNEXTDOOR, THE BOYZ, SEVENTEEN—departure schedules for many of K-pop’s most popular acts are readily accessible with a simple search on social media platform X. Flight details for idol groups through April to June are being openly sold. Prices typically range from 500 to 2,000 won ($0.35–1.40). Some fans take it further, purchasing tickets on the same flights as the artists to board alongside them—often attempting physical contact or covert photography inside the cabin. For an extra fee, even more sensitive information is allegedly available, with some fans reportedly going as far as altering an artist’s in-flight meal request without permission.
The consequences of this obsessive behavior frequently spill over to ordinary passengers. Fan gatherings cause significant congestion, and the resulting heavy security around celebrities often leads to disruption. On Mar. 29, rookie girl group Hearts2Hearts became embroiled in controversy after a chaotic scene erupted at Gimpo International Airport. As the members entered the departure hall, fans, media, and security staff clashed, creating turmoil. The situation was exacerbated by the weekend crowd. One frustrated traveler was caught on video yelling, “We need to get on our flight too, you [expletive]!” The footage went viral, sparking widespread criticism online. “Are celebrities royalty now?” one post read, as backlash mounted and the group’s image took a hit.
Amid repeated incidents, airport authorities have sought preventive measures. In October, Incheon International Airport Corporation sent official notices to several entertainment agencies, proposing revised procedures that would allow celebrities to use a dedicated departure gate to minimize crowd buildup. The plan involved extending access to an existing gate reserved for crew and city airport terminal passengers. However, when the proposal triggered public backlash over perceived special treatment, the corporation abruptly canceled the rollout just one day before implementation. With no viable alternatives, the issue remains unresolved.
HYBE, the entertainment agency representing BTS, condemned the sale and purchase of flight information as a “clear violation that threatens artist safety” and warned it “could lead to serious security incidents both at the airport and in-flight.” The agency said it had established a dedicated task force and filed a formal police complaint.
In February, the Cyber Security Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police booked a woman in her 30s on suspicion of trafficking in celebrity flight information. Investigators said the woman was an employee of a Hong Kong-based airline and had accessed internal systems to obtain approximately 1,000 flight records between 2023 and last year. She reportedly profited more than 10 million won ($6,987) by selling the data.
