South Korean Prime Minister Han Seung-soo stated on November 2 that the government will strictly crack down on crimes that harm public welfare, including ticket scalping, and will recover any unjust profits.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) titled "You Can No Longer Make Money from Scalping," Han highlighted a case where a Korean Series ticket, originally priced at 81,000 won, was sold for 8.93 million won—approximately 110 times its face value. This ticket was from last year's Korean Series.
Han noted that ahead of the postseason for professional baseball, the government had announced plans to strengthen enforcement against scalping, leading to the exposure of long-hidden organizations.
According to the Incheon Police Agency, authorities arrested 24 individuals suspected of illegally reserving about 15,500 concert and baseball tickets and reselling them for a profit of approximately 2.2 billion won. Some suspects reportedly used a computer setup with 22 machines to employ macro programs and accounts registered under other people's names to secure tickets.
These individuals recruited buyers through social media and sold tickets either in person at venues or via individual delivery. Police have traced accounts and analyzed sales records, leading to the seizure of criminal proceeds valued at approximately 2.099 billion won, including land, stocks, and deposits.
Han also mentioned that police have informed ticket reservation sites of security vulnerabilities exploited in these crimes and requested improvements, emphasizing the need to reduce opportunities for macro programs to infiltrate.
He expressed that the efforts and passion of artists and athletes should not be exploited for illicit profit and stressed that fans who wait from early morning and refresh their reservation screens should not be victimized.
Earlier, on October 30, Han held a luncheon at the Prime Minister's residence with 11 individuals from various sectors who contributed to addressing crimes that infringe on public welfare, discussing institutional improvements to combat scalping through macro prevention.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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