30-fold markup on actor Byeon Woo-seok tickets; multiple scalpers arrested
This captured image shows a scalper receiving requests to secure concert tickets using a macro program. Courtesy of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency
Cyber scalpers who used macro programs to secure concert tickets for popular singers and stars like Lim Young-woong and Byeon Woo-seok, then sold them at inflated prices, have been caught by police. This marks the first crackdown since the amendment to the Performance Act in March, which specifically targets scalping through macros.
The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said Tuesday that they arrested seven scalpers, mostly in their 20s and 30s, who were skilled in using macros.
A macro is a type of software designed to automate tasks by repeating specific commands, significantly increasing the chances of securing tickets compared to manual attempts. In March, the government amended the Performance Act to crack down on the use of macros in ticket scalping, imposing penalties of up to one year in prison or fines of up to 10 million won for violators.
Most of the suspects caught for scalping were college students or jobseekers, who admitted during police investigations that they used macros to secure tickets for popular concerts and resell them on secondhand platforms to make extra money.
However, their "pocket money" justification fell apart when one college student revealed he had made 13.4 million won ($10,000) in just one month by selling 15 tickets for Lim Young-woong's concert.
Another case involved a man in his 20s currently serving in the military, who used a macro to secure up to nine tickets at once for Na Hoon-a's concert, where only four tickets could be purchased per person.
Over three months, he sold 37 tickets on a resale platform, earning 5.4 million won. While regular users had to wait in long queues, sometimes with tens of thousands ahead of them, the scalpers using macros could access ticket links within 1-2 minutes.
Additionally, a woman in her 20s was caught for earning 100 million won by using macros to secure 331 musical tickets through "proxy ticketing," where she received clients' login information via Naver blogs and X.
The resold tickets included concerts by famous celebrities. Lim Young-woong’s concert tickets, originally priced at 187,000 won, were resold for up to 800,000 won, and Na Hoon-a’s tickets, priced at 143,000 won, went for 500,000 won.
The most expensive ticket was for actor Byeon Woo-seok's fan meeting in July, where a ticket priced at 77,000 won was resold for 2.35 million won.
A police officer noted the limitations of resolving scalping solely through crackdowns and investigations. "We plan to form a collaborative response team with major concert venues, ticketing platforms, sports organizations and entertainment agencies," he said.
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.