As fans are already aware, BTS will kick off their world tour in Goyang, South кσяєα, in April 2026, before traveling across North αмєяι¢α, Europe, South αмєяι¢α, and Asia through April of the following year. The tour will span a total of 79 shows in 34 cities, making it the largest-scale tour in K-pop history. Anticipation is particularly high as this marks BTS’s first world tour in three years following their military enlistment hiatus, and more than four years since they last met fans in person.
As a result, since mid-January, an official from SonoCalm Goyang stated, "Room reservations from April 9th to 12th are already completely full. We understand that neighboring accommodations are in the same situation." The situation in Busan is no better, even though the concert there is still six months away.
Search interest in travel to South кσяєα surged immediately after news of BTS’s world tour was announced. According to data from Hotels.com, compared to the week just before the tour announcement (January 6–7), searches for travel to Seoul from January 13–14 increased by 155%, while searches for Busan skyrocketed by 2,375%, reflecting how global fan attention is rapidly converging on Seoul ahead of the tour’s opening shows.
These indicators, along with fans’ reactions across social media following the world tour announcement, foreshadow an extremely fierce competition for concert tickets. Capitalizing on fans’ heightened anticipation, fraudulent ticketing websites and scams have begun to proliferate. Some fans reported being deceived into purchasing fan club memberships through fake websites while preparing for the concert presale. Others shared that they had been directed to phone numbers falsely claiming to be official ticket distributors for BigHit Music.
On January 22, recognizing the seriousness of the situation ahead of official ticket sales, BTS’s agency released a statement warning fans: “We would like to bring to your attention recent findings of fraudulent websites posing as official channels to sell ARMY MEMBERSHIPS and World Tour tickets ahead of BTS's upcoming comeback and tour. Please be advised that these unauthorized websites are not affiliated with Weverse’s official services or official websites. They have no partnership or cooperative relationship with BIGHIT MUSIC or BTS whatsoever.”
BigHit Music further urged fans to “exercise extreme caution, as we cannot provide protection or αѕѕistance for any damages resulting from membership registration, ticket purchases, or the disclosure of personal information through illegal or unofficial sites,” adding, “To prevent any potential harm, please refrain from using suspicious websites and ensure you are using only official channels.”
The company also clearly reiterated in the notice: “Registration for the ARMY MEMBERSHIP (BTS GLOBAL OFFICIAL FANCLUB ARMY MEMBERSHIP) is available exclusively through the Weverse app and web service (https://weverse.io/). Furthermore, all information regarding the BTS World Tour is provided via the official website (https://ibigнιт.com/en/bts/tour/). Please note that ticket reservations can only be made through the authorized ticketing platforms listed on that official page.”
Meanwhile, fans need to note that BTS concert tickets are officially distributed through NOL Ticket in South кσяєα, while in select countries—including the United States, ¢αиα∂α, мєχι¢σ, Europe, and the United Kingdom—Ticketmaster serves as the official ticketing provider. Both platforms have released official announcements regarding ticket sale schedules for the K-pop superstars and provided detailed guidelines on how to participate in the two ticketing rounds via their official accounts.
While it is widely understood that fans have been waiting a long time for BTS’s return to the stage and that competition for tickets is more intense than ever, moments like these require ARMYs to remain especially vigilant to avoid falling victim to scams that could result in both financial and emotional distress. Following BigHit’s announcement, fans have also been advising one another to refrain from engaging with any websites that are not affiliated with Weverse or the officially authorized ticketing platforms announced by BigHit Music.
Meanwhile, fans have continued to voice their reactions and outrage over the growing severity of concert ticket scams, saying “Scams around tickets and memberships are getting wild these days, so this reminder is really important. ARMY, please be careful and use only official channels”, “The hype just went up but that also means we need to remain even more vigilant”, “Scammers are getting out of control”, “BigHit issuing a warning just shows how serious the situation is. ARMYs need to stay alert”, “Stay safe, ARMY”,...
