Korea targets 170 ticket scalpers in 1st mass police referral
Summary
Korean authorities referred 170 high-volume ticket resellers to police on Wednesday under tightened anti-scalping laws. The suspects allegedly offered 11,032 sports and entertainment tickets in an illegal trade estimated at more than 1 billion won. Authorities received over 68,000 complaints after the law took effect and plan joint digital and on-site crackdowns during the KBO postseason.
Key Facts
- The suspects included 121 sellers of sports tickets and 49 sellers of entertainment tickets.
- Authorities blocked around 30,000 suspicious posts and obtained transaction data from online secondary ticket platforms.
- About 68 percent of the suspects posted listings on Ticketbay.
- Four people allegedly concealed markups through overpriced merchandise requirements or service fees.
- Violators face administrative fines of up to 50 times a ticket’s face value, while tipsters can receive rewards of up to 50 million won.
Baseball fans line up to purchase tickets outside the main box office at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on Aug. 27. Yonhap
Under newly tightened anti-scalping laws, Korean authorities referred 170 high-volume ticket resellers to police on Wednesday, targeting an illegal trade estimated at more than 1 billion won ($770,000).
The sweep marks the first major enforcement action under amended legislation that bans reselling tickets above face value, regardless of whether automated buying software was used. The move follows an unprecedented wave of public tips: Between Aug. 28, when the law took effect, and Oct. 1, authorities received over 68,000 complaints — averaging roughly 2,000 a day, a seventeenfold surge compared to last year.
Cooperating with online secondary ticket platforms, regulators blocked around 30,000 suspicious posts and obtained transaction data to identify the most severe offenders. The suspects, comprising 121 sellers in sports and 49 in entertainment, allegedly offered 11,032 tickets. In one extreme instance, a single individual offered more than 1,000 tickets with a combined listing price exceeding 100 million won.
“Ticket scalping is a clear criminal act that deprives creators and athletes of their legitimate rights while disrupting the market,” said Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young. Calling scalping a crime that directly undermines everyday public life, Chae urged continued cooperation between online platforms and law enforcement.
The crackdown comes as Korea enters its highly anticipated baseball postseason. Professional sports matches have become hotbeds for reselling, with high-profile playoff games routinely selling out in seconds. About 68 percent of the suspects flagged in this first sweep posted their listings on Ticketbay, a popular local secondary ticket marketplace.
Regulators are also going after scalpers using sneaky tricks to dodge the law.
Four people were flagged for hiding high ticket prices behind extra charges — like forcing buyers to purchase overpriced merchandise or claiming the markup is just a "service fee." Authorities made it clear that no matter what scalpers call these extra fees, the law looks at the real price being charged.
Under the amended legislation, violators face administrative fines up to 50 times the ticket’s face value. To sustain the momentum, citizens who report illegal ticket hoarding can receive monetary rewards of up to 50 million won.
With the KBO postseason kicking off, authorities plan joint on-site crackdowns with police at every playoff venue, pairing stadium patrols with digital monitoring to safeguard fans heading to the gates.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.
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