Psy's Summer Swag concert plagued by ticket scalping

Singer Psy’s Summer Swag concert had the highest number of scalped tickets, Rep. Kang Yu-jung of the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) said, Sunday, calling for stricter penalties for individuals caught selling scalped tickets.

According to data obtained by the lawmaker from the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), 3,400 scalping cases were reported through the online ticketing fraud reporting system from November 2023 to July. Among these, Psy's Summer Swag concert recorded the highest number of verified enforcement actions, totaling 15 cases.

KOCCA operates an online reporting system for ticket scalping, where the agency conducts initial verifications. Reports are deemed valid when they include specific ticket information, such as seat numbers and reservation codes. These validated reports are then shared with ticketing platforms, which can request explanations from ticket holders or initiate ticket cancellations.

Of the 3,400 initial online reports, scalping related to music concerts accounted for 2,556 cases, representing 75.2 percent of all reports, according to the lawmaker. This was followed by 519 cases related to fan club meetings and festivals, 200 cases for game events, and 125 cases for musical tickets.

Secondhand marketplace platforms were the most common venues for trading scalping tickets as about 80 percent (2,721 cases) of reports involved platforms like Danggeun Market and Joonggonara. Additionally, 626 cases were reported from social media platforms including X, Facebook, Instagram and Telegram.

KOCCA confirmed 144 valid cases among the reports received since November. Subsequently, enforcement actions were taken on 109 cases, which included suspending ticket reservations and voluntary cancellations for suspected fraud. Among these 109 cases, 44 were identified as counterfeit tickets with manipulated reservation numbers or seat numbers.

Excluding manipulated tickets, of the 65 cases that resulted in enforcement actions, Psy's Summer Swag concert had the highest number of scalped tickets, followed by veteran singer Na Hoon-a's concert with four cases, Younha's concert with three, and Psy's All Night Stand winter concert also with three.

Rep. Kang emphasized the rampant ticket scalping in Korea's performance market and called for stronger penalties against scalpers to ensure fairer ticket purchasing opportunities for consumers.

"Selling scalped tickets is equivalent to violating the public’s right to enjoy cultural activities," the lawmaker said. "We need stronger sanctions, including penalties that exceed the potential profits from scalping."

Ticket scalping has been widespread across various entertainment sectors in Korea, including music and sports events. Last year, tickets for the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) League's Korean Series match between the LG Twins and the KT Wiz were traded at triple their original value. Additionally, tickets for the League of Legends World Championship e-sports finals held in Korea were resold for over 4 million won ($2,970), far exceeding their original price of 245,000 won.

Although the revised Public Performance Act came into effect in March, its effectiveness has been questioned, as it only punishes ticket sales conducted using macro programs. In response, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is pursuing another amendment to prohibit the overpricing of ticket resales, regardless of whether macro programs are used.