Seoul | Police investigations, “ghost screenings” and political intrigue – it has all the ingredients of the darkly original films that South Korea is famous for. But the drama in Seoul is centred on the film industry itself, and allegations that the box office performance of hundreds of films has been inflated.

The anti-corruption unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency has in recent months raided three multiplex chains – CGV, Megabox and Lotte Cinema – and three distributors and referred 69 people to prosecutors for possible criminal charges over allegations that cinemas colluded with distributors to exaggerate ticket sales for more than 323 films over the past five years.

Financial Times