Choi Hwi-young, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, announced on August 28 that starting today, all fraudulent transactions involving performance and sports tickets will be prohibited, regardless of the use of macro programs.
During a joint inspection meeting on ticket scalping held at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Jongno, Seoul, Choi stated, "Scalpers, who neither perform on stage nor compete in sports, are disrupting the market by taking advantage of the value created by artists and athletes through their hard work."
The newly implemented amendments to the Enforcement Decree of the Performance Act and the Enforcement Decree of the National Sports Promotion Act focus on banning all fraudulent purchases and sales, addressing previous limitations that primarily targeted ticket scalping through macro usage.
Additional measures include mandatory actions for businesses to prevent fraudulent activities, rewards for reporting, fines up to 50 times the sale price, and confiscation of illicit profits.
Choi particularly highlighted the impact of ticket scalping on youth, stating, "Artists and sports stars are idols for young people, yet they are unable to enjoy performances and sports events freely. Scalpers are bulk-buying tickets and reselling them at prices that are unaffordable for youth."
Regulations on movie ticket scalping are also being pursued. Choi mentioned, "We will swiftly push for amendments to the 'Act on the Promotion of Movies and Video Works' to address the recent issues of ticket scalping, particularly in special screening venues, reflecting voices from the field."
The meeting included representatives from 19 organizations, such as the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Fair Trade Commission, the National Police Agency, major ticket sales platforms, second-hand trading platforms, relevant associations, and ticket scalping reporting agencies.
A representative from NOLU Universe stated, "In the past, even if reports of fraudulent transactions were received, we could not provide information to relevant agencies without a warrant. Now that legal grounds have been established, we will actively cooperate to ensure smoother information sharing going forward."
The Korea Sports Promotion Foundation will also strengthen its crackdown on scalping. A foundation official remarked, "In preparation for the upcoming fall baseball season, we will actively monitor ticket scalping. Just this morning, we have already received four reports related to scalping."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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