"Blackpink Tickets for 1 Million Won, Son Heung-min Match Tickets for 400,000 Won... Resale Platform a 'Scalper's Paradise'"

Profiteering from 2 to 5 Times
Legal Blind Spots Make Detection Difficult
Effectiveness of Minor Offense Punishment Act Questioned
4,224 Online Ticket Scalping Reports Last Year
Macro Suspicions Referred for Investigation

Scalped tickets, sold at several times their original price, are openly circulated online, but there is no clear legal basis to punish scalping on the internet and social networking services (SNS), making it difficult to crack down on.

BLACKPINK [Image source=Yonhap News]

Popular Performances, Twice the Face Value as Standard

On the 12th, numerous scalped ticket listings for concerts, soccer matches, and trains were posted on secondhand trading platforms. For performances, tickets for the Blackpink concert scheduled for the 16th and 17th were the best sellers. On a major domestic secondhand trading platform, over 200 listings were posted in just one day. The official ticket prices are 220,000 KRW for VIP seats, 187,000 KRW for R seats, 154,000 KRW for S seats, and 121,000 KRW for A seats. However, scalped tickets are priced at 500,000 to 1,000,000 KRW for VIP seats, 350,000 to 500,000 KRW for R seats, 250,000 to 300,000 KRW for S seats, and around 200,000 KRW for A seats. These prices are at least twice and up to five times the original cost.

Soccer national team A matches featuring player Son Heung-min are also popular. For the June 20 match against El Salvador, the official ticket prices were 200,000 KRW for premium seats, 110,000 KRW for first-class S seats, 60,000 KRW for second-class S seats, 35,000 KRW for red seats, and 30,000 KRW for third-class seats. Scalped tickets sold for 350,000 to 400,000 KRW for premium seats, 160,000 to 250,000 KRW for first-class S seats, 100,000 KRW for second-class S seats, 85,000 KRW for red seats, and 60,000 KRW for third-class seats.

A sales post for BLACKPINK concert tickets posted on a secondhand trading platform.
[Photo by each platform capture]

Golf course bookings are also rife with scalping. As soon as reservations open at public golf courses, 'booking managers' run macros (auto-fill programs) to sweep up reservations and resell them on internet golf cafes or online booking sites with a minimum markup of 10,000 KRW per person. These managers share stolen reservation time information on websites for booking managers. One manager said, "During the spring and autumn seasons, we sell at least 40,000 KRW per team daily, about 10 teams." This means illegal extra profits of 400,000 KRW per day and 12 million KRW per month.

Scalped train tickets are also rampant ahead of Chuseok. After the Chuseok train ticket reservation ended from the 29th to 31st of last month, over 50 listings with marked-up scalped tickets appeared instantly on secondhand trading platforms. One seller listed a KTX ticket from Yongsan Station to Gwangju Songjeong Station on the 27th for 70,000 KRW. The normal fare for a standard seat is 46,800 KRW, so this is over 20,000 KRW extra. Another seller is selling a KTX ticket from Busan Gupo Station to Seoul Station on October 1 for 140,000 KRW, which is 35,000 KRW more than the regular fare. Some sellers even list prices like '9,999 KRW,' '22,222 KRW,' or '1,111 KRW' to negotiate individually. Buyers, knowing it is difficult to purchase at face value anyway, approach transactions saying, "Please contact me first."

Legal Gaps Make Punishment Difficult

Scalped tickets sold above the official price are clearly illegal. The Minor Offenses Act punishes those who resell admission tickets, boarding passes, or sailing tickets at a markup at venues such as theaters, stadiums, stations, ferry terminals, and bus stops with a fine of up to 200,000 KRW, detention, or a penalty. The problem is that most scalping transactions occur online, but the current law only regulates offline locations. Currently, four amendment bills to the Minor Offenses Act (proposed by Democratic Party lawmakers Maeng Seong-gyu and Yang Gi-dae, and People Power Party lawmakers Lee Yong and Lee Tae-gyu) that specify information and communication networks in the prohibition of scalping or remove specific location regulations are pending in the Administrative and Security Committee.

Meanwhile, the scalping market continues to grow. Reports submitted to the scalped ticket reporting system operated by the Korea Creative Content Agency increased sharply from 359 cases in 2020 and 785 cases in 2021 to 4,224 cases last year. The revised Performance Act, scheduled to take effect in March next year, stipulates that illegal sales using macro programs are punishable by up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million KRW, but if macro use is not confirmed, punishment is difficult. A Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism official said, "The punishment regulations for online scalping are vague, making it difficult to request investigations," adding, "We plan to improve the scalped ticket reporting system in line with the law's enforcement."

Train tickets are also punishable under the Railroad Business Act with a fine of up to 10 million KRW if tickets are habitually or commercially resold or brokered at prices higher than the purchase price. Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) requested investigations into 10 suspected macro users from 2021 to 2022 under this law. A KORAIL official explained, "To block illegal ticket transactions, we have built a big data analysis system and monitor abnormal purchase histories such as mass purchases followed by returns and real-time access logs using macros." However, it is still difficult to catch individual transactions that happen instantly online.

Macro Regulations Abroad

Foreign countries also strictly punish bulk ticket purchases using macros. In the United States, under the federal 'BOTS Act' (Better Online Ticket Sales Act), businesses engaging in illegal macro use are subject to sanctions by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and civil lawsuits are pursued at the state level. Additionally, New York State's Arts and Cultural Affairs Law imposes fines ranging from $500 to $1,500 and confiscates all profits from resale. Lee Yun-ho, Chair Professor of Police Science at Korea Cyber University, said, "Scalping is a serious crime because it disrupts the market economy," and added, "There is a need to strengthen punishments for scalping under the Minor Offenses Act."