Hard to Get Anyway... 42 Cases of Holiday Train Ticket Scalping Caught

42 Cases of Suspected Unfair Transactions Reported for Investigation Over 4 Years
Resold 311 Items Purchased with 6 Credit Cards

Since 2020, Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and SR, the operator of Suseo High-Speed Railway (SRT), have uncovered 42 suspected cases of unfair ticket transactions during holiday periods. KORAIL and SR have requested police investigations into these cases.

On the 15th, Yeom Tae-young, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party, disclosed related data submitted by KORAIL and SR. According to the data, KORAIL confirmed 25 suspected cases of ticket scalping, while SR confirmed 17 cases.

Looking at major cases, ahead of last year's Lunar New Year and Chuseok holidays, one individual purchased 311 SRT tickets using 6 credit cards and 11 membership numbers, and sold 266 of them through a 'gift' method. There was also a case where 22 tickets worth 1,134,200 KRW were purchased using a single KORAIL membership number.

In 2020, SR also reported scalpers who used macro programs to secure tickets and resell them at a premium to the Railroad Special Judicial Police.

Under the current Railroad Business Act, those who sell tickets to others at prices exceeding their purchase price can be fined up to 10 million KRW.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

However, KORAIL and SR do not have direct authority to crack down on ticket scalping or impose fines, making effective enforcement difficult. According to data from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and KORAIL, there have been zero cases of government crackdowns or fines imposed on KTX ticket scalping over the past 10 years.

In response, SR registered IPs suspected of using macro programs during the holiday ticket reservation period from the 26th to 29th in its intrusion prevention system. It is also collaborating with online secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market, Bunjang, and Junggonara to promote the eradication of unfair ticket transactions and strengthen enforcement.

Assemblyman Yeom Tae-young stated, “Honest citizens who abide by the law are suffering due to unfair train ticket transactions,” adding, “It is necessary to ensure active investigative cooperation between the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and relevant judicial agencies, and to discuss institutional improvements such as granting railway operators the authority to crack down on unfair ticket transactions.”

In addition to scalping, voices are rising that urgent measures are needed to address the ‘No Show’ problem during the fiercely competitive holiday train ticket reservation periods.

According to KORAIL data, from 2019 to 2024, a total of approximately 36.482 million tickets for KTX, Saemaeul, and Mugunghwa trains were issued during six Lunar New Year and five Chuseok holiday periods. Of these, about 14.943 million tickets, or 40.96%, were canceled by purchasers and returned to KORAIL.

Experts say, “Refunding tickets just before departure or after train operation is essentially discarding those tickets,” and emphasize, “During holiday periods, cancellation fees should be increased and measures to raise resale rates should be devised.”