[2022 National Audit] Illegal Resale of Tickets for Performances by Psy, BTS, Lim Young-woong, etc. Surges... Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ignores Investigation

3594 Online Ticket Scalping Reports This Year... Ten Times More Than in 2020
'Psy Hmphok Show' Most Reported "Concert Law Must Be Revised to Ban Resale at Higher Prices"

Online ticket scalping for cultural and artistic performances, which had quieted down due to COVID-19, is resurging.

According to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism's national audit disclosed on the 4th by Yoo Jeong-joo, a member of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party), the number of online ticket scalping reports submitted to the 'Online Ticket Scalping Report Board' this year (as of last month) is 3,594. This is more than ten times the 359 reports received in 2020 when the board was first launched. The Online Ticket Scalping Report Board is an online scalping response system established by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the National Police Agency. It collects relevant information and requests investigations by the police when necessary.

Analysis of the reported posts showed that 3,568 cases included the performance title. The most frequently reported performance was 'PSY Humpback Show (950 cases),' accounting for 26.6% of all reports. 'BTS Permission to Dance On Stage (465 cases)' accounted for 13%, 'Na Hoon-a Concert (385 cases)' for 10.8%, and 'Lim Young-woong Concert (256 cases)' for 7.2%.

Tickets were mainly bought and sold through secondhand trading platforms such as Junggonara (1,080 cases) and Danggeun Market (798 cases). Posts involving platforms where exchanges took place totaled 2,628, with 71.5% involving secondhand trading platforms. Sales conducted on Twitter also accounted for a significant 306 cases.

Assemblyman Yoo pointed out, "As large-scale performances resume, premium tickets purchased in bulk using macro programs and resold at a markup are rampant," adding, "The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is actually lukewarm about eradicating online ticket scalping. Among the 4,708 reports submitted to the Online Ticket Scalping Report Board, none have led to police investigations."

He continued, "There is also a lack of legal grounds for related crackdowns and penalties," emphasizing, "The Act on Performances should be amended to prohibit the use of software during ticket reservations and the resale of tickets at a markup."