A 30-year-old female employee of a Hong Kong-based airline has been caught selling confidential flight information of BTS and other popular K-pop celebrities.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency's cybercrime unit launched an investigation into the 30-year-old over allegations that she was illegally accessing the flight details of the airline's consumers. The investigation later uncovered a massive data breach spanning from 2023 to 2024.
According to the investigation's results, the unnamed employee leveraged her access to the airline's internal booking systems to search for the names and birthdays of celebrities. In addition, the employee was also said to have used the software to obtain the confidential flight information of Korean celebrities, including their seat numbers.
She later sold the information for profit, charging higher prices for information related to top K-pop stars like BTS. It is estimated that she sold more than 1,000 data sets, making a profit of more than 10 million Korean won (roughly $7,000).
The scheme began as a favor to an acquaintance before the employee began obtaining and selling the information for profit. The police are now investigating whether the employee had any accomplices in the distribution of the information.
This incident has raised serious concerns about security within the airline industry and unauthorized access to passenger records. K-pop stars and other celebrities have long been targets of obsessive fans who attempt to obtain personal travel information, making this breach particularly alarming.
In January 2020, JYP Entertainment faced a serious security breach involving TWICE member Nayeon when a German stalker managed to board the same flight as her from Japan to South Korea. The incident prompted the company to place Nayeon under police protection and launch an investigation into how the group's flight information was leaked and sold online.
In June 2024, HYBE (formerly Big Hit Entertainment) revealed that it had discovered several suspects involved in the illegal trading of its artists' information. The suspects have been referred to the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office.
