Busan fireworks festival crackdown nets ticket scalpers, beach spot sellers amid price-gouging complaints

Eight people, including a middle school student, were caught scalping tickets and trying to charge visitors for beach viewing spots at Saturday's Busan Fireworks Festival.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency said Monday that it carried out the crackdown around Gwangalli Beach, where an estimated 1.2 million people gathered for the festival's 21st edition.

Some of those caught had laid out picnic mats to claim spots on the sand, then offered the spaces for a fee on a secondhand trading app.

Two men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, were caught asking for 130,000 won ($94) and 100,000 won, respectively, for the spots they had claimed.

A middle school student also tried to charge 100,000 won for a spot marked out with a picnic mat. Police let the student go with a warning, citing the student's age.

Police also caught a man in his 30s trying to resell two R-section tickets above face value on a secondhand trading app. He was caught around noon Saturday on a street in Millak-dong, Suyeong-gu.

A woman in her 40s was also caught trying to resell two S-section tickets at a markup on a street in nearby Gwangan-dong.

The adults caught were fined between 80,000 won and 160,000 won under the Punishment of Minor Offenses Act.

Restaurants in Gwangalli also came under fire for overcharging during the event.

One package was priced at 800,000 won per table for four dishes and a bottle of wine. Another cost 150,000 won per person and required a booking for at least two people.

Nearby hotels and other acomodations also drew criticism for sharp price hikes.

A Busan city survey of 157 hotels and other accommodations within 500 meters of the festival site found that they charged an average of 94.5 percent more for the festival night than on a typical weekend. Fifteen charged at least three times their usual weekend rates.

Police said they would continue to crack down on ticket scalping and the sale of viewing spots at festivals and performances that attract large crowds.