Is a Single K-POP Concert Scalped Ticket Really "As Expensive as a Used Car"?

Tickets Priced at 150,000?200,000 Won Sold for Up to 9.7 Million Won
Min Hyungbae: "Urgent Need for System Reform and Increased Personnel and Budget"

Min Hyungbae, member of the Democratic Party of Korea.

Recently, the illegal ticket resale market for K-POP concerts has been expanding, with some ticket prices approaching 10 million won, making illegal transactions a serious social issue. However, there are concerns that the effectiveness of the ticket scalping reporting system is low, highlighting the urgent need for countermeasures.

According to data submitted by Min Hyungbae, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (representing Gwangsan-gu, Gwangju), to the National Assembly inspection on September 30, based on information from the Korea Creative Content Agency (hereafter referred to as KOCCA), there have been 5,405 reports of ticket scalping over the past three years since 2023. However, only 306 of these were recognized as valid reports, and action was taken in just 207 cases. The processing rate stands at only 3.8% of all reports, indicating that reporting has not led to substantial results.

The prices of illegally resold tickets are beyond imagination. According to KOCCA's monitoring, tickets for popular groups such as NCT WISH, aespa, and BLACKPINK, which are originally priced between 150,000 and 200,000 won, have been found to sell for as much as 9.7 million won in the illegal resale market. This is more than 50 times the original price, to the extent that people say, "A single ticket costs as much as a used car."

The fundamental problems are loopholes in laws and regulations, as well as a lack of personnel and budget. The current Performing Arts Act only penalizes the use of macro programs, making it insufficient to prevent ticket scalping as a whole. Additionally, difficulties in securing evidence, a shortage of enforcement personnel, and budget constraints have all made it challenging to operate the reporting center.

The "Online Ticket Scalping Reporting Center for Popular Culture and Arts," operated by KOCCA, has only one dedicated staff member. The related budget increased from 124 million won in 2023 to 316 million won in 2024, but has decreased again to 218 million won this year.

Min Hyungbae emphasized, "The rampant ticket scalping behind K-POP stages that attract global attention undermines the credibility of our culture. The system must be urgently improved, and both personnel and budget should be increased to eradicate ticket scalping."