2 women arrested as hawkers cash in on Blackpink merchandise craze at concerts

Hong Kong authorities have arrested two women for hawking and received four complaints about unauthorised vendors selling merchandise for K-pop group Blackpink near a concert venue over the past few days. Hours ahead of the final night of the three-concert series of the popular Korean girl band on Monday, a Post reporter spotted about a dozen hawkers near Kai Tak Stadium, selling the merchandise without official approval. Since the concerts began on Saturday, photos shared on Threads have shown vendors selling Blackpink items near the arena, with some users alleging that certain items were counterfeit. In a reply to the Post, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department said on Monday night that it had been closely monitoring and taking enforcement actions against hawkers around Kai Tak Station Square. The department said its officers on Monday arrested two women for hawking and causing public obstruction, while a fixed penalty notice was issued to a man for the latter offence. Officers also seized four batches of abandoned goods linked to hawking activities. A spokesman for the Leisure and Cultural Services Department confirmed it received four complaints regarding unauthorised sales within the government-managed park area on Saturday and Sunday. “The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will continue to strengthen the management of Kai Tak Station Plaza and deploy additional staff to patrol and handle potential violations when there are large-scale events at Kai Tak Sports Park,” he said. The park said only authorised dealers could sell their commodities in designated locations under its rules, adding that frontline staff would request individuals involved in unauthorised sales to leave the venue. In the hours leading up to the 7pm concert on Monday, the Post reporter observed many hawkers outside the venue selling a variety of goods including keychains, fans, small plushy dolls, pink T-shirts and card holders, while evading government officers and security guards at Kai Tak Sports Park. Officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department dispersed some vendors and stationed themselves around the Kai Tai MTR station – one of the main access points to the venue – but about a dozen hawkers were still seen along the passageway leading towards the arena as the evening progressed. A pair of sellers said they targeted fans looking to buy official merchandise without waiting in long queues, or for items that had sold out. One hawker said the sales of official merchandise only yielded “very narrow margins”, with profits as low as a few dozen Hong Kong dollars per light stick. Special edition light sticks shaped like pink hammers were among the most popular items, priced between HK$400 and HK$560 (US$51.20 and US$71.80), with the higher price roughly HK$100 above the official retail rate. Another vendor, offering T-shirts packed in plastic bags, insisted that the products were genuine, displaying the official logo to the Post reporter posing as a customer. While the marked price of the T-shirt was HK$350, the vendor said she was selling it for HK$200 as only larger sizes remained. She added that she hoped to clear her remaining stock before “going back” to the mainland. Some hawkers also sold products sourced from Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao, such as heart-shaped fans printed with faces of Blackpink members, transparent black-and-pink tote bags, and printed scarves. The Customs and Excise Department said it had not received any related reports on counterfiet goods so far, urging the public to report suspicious activities to the authorities. “Customs will look into the issue. If there is any violation of the TDO [Trade Descriptions Ordinance], it will take appropriate enforcement actions,” the department said. Under the law, anyone found selling or possessing goods with a forged trademark faces a maximum fine of HK$500,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.