South Korea investigates 170 individuals for illegal ticket scalping

South Korea’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has requested investigations into 170 individuals suspected of illegal ticket scalping for professional sports and performances. The crackdown follows the implementation of amended versions of the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act on August 28, which prohibit the unfair purchase and sale of tickets, regardless of whether macro programs were used.

The suspected sellers are involved in the attempted sale of approximately 11,032 tickets, with a total estimated value exceeding 1 billion won. Professional sports scalping accounts for the majority of the cases, involving 121 individuals and roughly 930 million won in ticket value. The performance sector includes 49 individuals suspected of attempting to sell 372 tickets worth about 99 million won.

Data analysis revealed that 68% of the suspects were identified through listings on the resale platform Ticketbay. Investigations also include four cases of ‘variant sales,’ where individuals attempted to bypass regulations by labeling transactions as service fees, labor costs, or bundled product sales.

Since the new laws took effect, reports of scalping have surged to an average of 2,000 cases per day, a 17-fold increase compared to the previous year. Authorities have noted that violators may face fines of up to 50 times the sale price.