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 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 had arrested two women that day 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.