Hong Kong Airline Employee Allegedly Sells Celebrity Flight Data, BTS Included

February 27, 2025 | 11:55 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta -- The Seoul Metropolitan Police are investigating a case of flight data leakage involving an employee of a Hong Kong airline. A woman in her thirties is suspected of selling flight information of several South Korean celebrities, including members from Korean Pop group Bangtan Sonyeondan, popularly known as BTS, to other parties in exchange for money.

Reported by The Standard, the employee illegally accessed hundreds of flight data from 2023 to 2024. She used the airline's internal system to search for the names and birth dates of celebrities, then obtained flight details, including seat numbers.

Thousands of Flight Data, Including BTS, Sold for Tens of Millions of Won

According to initial investigations, the woman sold more than 1,000 flight data and made a profit of over 10 million won (around Rp 114 million). As reported by South China Morning Post, the prices varied depending on the popularity of the celebrities whose information was sold.

She claimed that initially she only fulfilled a request from an acquaintance. However, later on, she turned the activity into a business field, setting higher prices for more famous stars.

Hong Kong Airlines Denial

Hong Kong Airlines clarified that the woman was not part of their company. A spokesperson for Hong Kong Airlines said that they always enforce strict policies to protect passenger privacy and require all employees to comply with the law and the company's internal regulations.

Three other Hong Kong-based airlines-Cathay Pacific Airways, HK Express, and Greater Bay Airlines-have not yet responded to the case. Meanwhile, the South Korean police are still investigating the possibility of involvement of other parties in the network of buying and selling flight data of celebrities.

Outrage of Fans Echoed

This case has sparked the outrage of BTS fans, known as ARMY. For them, selling flight data is not just a legal violation, but also a form of betrayal of their idol's privacy. In X, condemning comments emerged. One of them from the account @D***OT** expressing their disappointment,

"They prefer easy money and act illegally without respecting someone's privacy, rather than working safely, respecting their superiors, and themselves... Every action has consequences... and I'm glad she got caught... Hopefully, more cases like this will be uncovered," the account wrote.

Another user, @**ng***kam7, also criticized the perpetrator's rash decision. "I'm amazed by people who consciously choose to ruin their own lives and future," they wrote. Meanwhile, @S***dSho**y added, "Greed is the source of crime."

THE STANDARD | SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST | X

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