Na Hoon-a Tickets Double... Revised Performance Law Fails to Catch Macro Scalpers

"Macro Tactics Evolving Daily and Legal Loopholes"
"Difficult to Report Scalpers Due to Lack of Evidence Despite Suspicion"

The revised Performance Act aimed at eradicating 'macro scalping' has been in effect since the 22nd, but voices are emerging questioning whether it is truly effective.

According to the performance industry on the 23rd, before and after the enforcement of the revised Performance Act?which imposes up to one year of imprisonment or a fine of up to 10 million won for reselling tickets purchased using macros at a higher price?posts suspected to be scalped tickets obtained through macros continue to appear on online secondhand trading sites and social networking services (SNS).

A macro is a program that automatically repeats commands. It is used to secure tickets for popular performances such as singer Na Hoon-a's concerts, the musical 'Hedwig,' and pianist Lim Yoon-chan's recitals.

Cases of bulk ticket acquisition using macros followed by resale at inflated prices persist, causing genuine attendees to be unable to purchase tickets or forced to buy scalped tickets at prices higher than the face value, making this a chronic problem in the performance industry for years.

Na Hoon-a Concert Ticket Transfer Post.
[Photo by Online Secondhand Trading Site Capture]

On the 19th, thousands of people were placed in a 'waiting queue' as soon as ticket sales began for Na Hoon-a's concert in Songdo, Incheon. Those who managed to get through found that all seats were already sold out.

Shortly after, posts selling Na Hoon-a concert tickets quickly appeared on secondhand trading sites. One seller introduced themselves as a "seller with many transaction records" and listed an R-seat ticket priced at 165,000 won for 300,000 won. On X (formerly Twitter), posts offering to secure early queue positions using macros were also noticeable.

The situation is similar for the musical 'Hedwig,' which opened on the 22nd. The performances featuring actor Jo Jung-suk are sold out, and tickets cannot be purchased on the official ticketing sites. However, posts selling 'Jo Jung-suk performance' tickets are openly listed on secondhand trading sites. VIP seats priced at 150,000 won are being sold for 240,000 to 260,000 won, and some sellers hold 2 to 10 tickets per date, even though tickets are reportedly hard to find.

Not only scalped tickets but also 'proxy ticketing' advertisements have appeared. Pianist Lim Yoon-chan's recital is scheduled for a nationwide tour in June, and tickets for the Daegu Concert House performance were sold last month. Before the sale date, posts offering proxy ticketing services appeared on online communities. The poster advertised, "Classical success rate is very high. Please inquire about the process and service fee."

Within the performance industry, the prevailing view is that such 'macro scalping' will not easily disappear with just the revision of related laws.

Purchasing tickets using macros is difficult to detect unless filtered by the system at the time of booking. Ticketing sites block abnormal access suspected of macro use, but macro technology is evolving daily, making it difficult to completely block.

Moreover, the Minor Offenses Act, which includes penalties for scalping, was created decades ago and only regulates offline on-site transactions, not online transactions that constitute the vast majority of scalped ticket sales.

Yoon Dong-hwan, chairman of the Korea Music Label Industry Association, submitted a government petition demanding the revision of the Minor Offenses Act as a fundamental solution, but it was ultimately not accepted.

He stated, "The outdated Minor Offenses Act, which limits scalping penalties to places such as 'entertainment venues, stadiums, stations, ferry terminals, and bus stops,' must be revised first."

Meanwhile, in the popular culture sector, skeptical of the law’s effectiveness, there are movements to counter scalping independently without relying on legislation or the criminal justice system.

Singer Jang Beom-jun partnered with Hyundai Card to issue NFT (Non-Fungible Token) tickets using blockchain technology. Hyundai Card began developing NFT tickets as a countermeasure after scalping surged during Bruno Mars' Korea concert last June, which attracted significant attention.