Entertainment news website Koreaboo reported the Korean youths had come to Malaysia to watch their favourite band, Wanna One, at a fan meet event held at Stadium Negara on Friday night.
However, they were caught trying to peddle some merchandise they had made themselves to other fans outside the venue.
The three youths were believed to have entered the country as tourists and did not possess a business visa or work permit to conduct any form of sales or other business activity, as required under Malaysian law.
Other Korean fans at the event told Koreaboo that the three youths were detained by Malaysian authorities for violating the conditions of their visas.
Meanwhile, Korea’s Metro News reported that although the South Korean foreign ministry had contacted their Malaysian counterparts, there has been no action taken so far on the arrest due to the weekend.
In South Korea, some people took to social media to express their disappointment and embarrassment over the actions of their compatriots.
“Malaysia is very strict with their laws. I don’t understand why they committed a crime that’s also illegal in Korea,” said one.
Another said: “I don’t know why they came all the way to Malaysia and did something that’s not allowed. They may just have been ignorant of Malaysian laws.”