Three Scalpers Arrested by Gwangju Police
“Profited Over 64 Million Won”
A group that used macros to purchase large quantities of Korea Series tickets and concert tickets in Gwangju, then resold them as scalped tickets, has been apprehended by the police. Authorities warned that “scalping not only harms spectators but also leads to secondary crimes such as fraud,” and announced plans for stricter crackdowns.
The Gwangju Police Agency announced on the 20th that three individuals, including a man in his 30s identified as A, have been referred to the prosecution on charges of violating the National Sports Promotion Act and the Performance Act. From October last year to February this year, A and his accomplices allegedly used macro programs to secure a total of 229 tickets, including 210 professional baseball postseason tickets and 19 tickets to concerts of a famous trot singer, reselling them at higher prices and making illicit profits of approximately 64 million won.
The police detected the scheme while intensively monitoring online scalping transactions ahead of last year’s Korea Series and subsequently apprehended A and his group.
The Gwangju police stated, “We will continue to monitor online advertisements for scalped tickets at all times and strengthen on-site crackdowns,” adding, “For the professional baseball opening ceremony at Champions Field this weekend, we will deploy plainclothes officers and mobile patrol units to enforce the crackdown.” They also emphasized the need for public awareness, saying, “Scalped tickets can lead to ticket fraud and other crimes, so citizens should refrain from buying or selling them.”
Meanwhile, during last year’s Korea Series, the police apprehended five suspects for online ticket fraud and imposed a fine on one scalper caught at the venue.
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