South Korean crackdown on ticket scalping

South Korean authorities have taken significant actions against illegal ticket scalping operations. Police investigations led to the referral of individuals to prosecutors for using automated macro programs to illicitly purchase and resell thousands of concert tickets for major K-pop artists, including BTS. One individual was accused of booking approximately 2,600 tickets, while another allegedly used a custom program to sweep up dozens of tickets per minute, earning hundreds of millions of won by reselling them at massive markups.

In response to these practices, South Korea has implemented strict new regulations through amendments to the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act. Effective August 28, 2026, unauthorized resellers may face administrative fines of up to 50 times the original sale price. The new rules prohibit bypassing official procedures and reselling tickets at a premium without consent, regardless of whether macro programs were used.

To support enforcement, online platforms are now required to implement identity verification and reporting functions. The government has also introduced a whistleblower reward system, offering up to 50 million won for reporting illegal purchases and a portion of fines for reporting illegal resales. Future plans include expanding these regulations to cover movie ticket scalping.