South Korea Imposes Heavy Fines and Rewards to Crack Down on Ticket Scalping

SEOUL, Aug. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will impose fines of up to 50 times the sale price on people who illegally resell tickets for concerts and sporting events, the culture ministry said Friday, as part of a crackdown on ticket scalping.

People who report illegal ticket buying or resale could also receive rewards of up to half of the fine imposed on a scalper.

The measures were set to take effect Friday under revised enforcement decrees for the Public Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said.

The laws, amended in February, prohibit buying tickets with the intention of reselling them, as well as selling them at inflated prices. The restrictions apply regardless of whether or not the buyer used automated software, known as macro programs, to secure the tickets.

Under the new rules, ticket sellers and online platforms must take steps to prevent illegal buying and resale. These include verifying users' identities, operating reporting systems and limiting the visibility of posts linked to suspected illegal transactions. Platforms must also restrict posts when requested by designated reporting bodies.

The government said those bodies would be allowed to ask ticketing companies and online platforms for information about suspected scalpers, including the identity of people who posted ticket-sale listings and internet access records.

The amount imposed on illegal resellers will depend on the number of tickets involved and the money made from their sale. Penalties will range from double to 50 times the sale price.

Those who report illegal purchases of tickets may receive a reward of up to 50 million won (US$16,140), according to the ministry, while those who report illegal sales of such tickets may be entitled to a reward of up to 50 percent of the fine levied on the offender.

Culture Minister Chae Hwi-young was set to preside over a meeting of 19 relevant government and civilian organizations later in the day, including the Fair Trade Commission, police, major ticketing services, second-hand trading platforms and industry associations, to coordinate the anti-scalping effort.

"We will mount an all-out response to eradicate ticket scalping, protect concertgoers and sports fans' legitimate opportunities to attend events, and establish a fair ticketing order," he was quoted as saying by the culture ministry.

The government also plans to swiftly revise the law on the promotion of films and videos to address a regulatory blind spot around ticket resales for films, particularly screenings at special-format cinemas, the minister said.

The move follows a recent surge in scalped IMAX tickets for the Hollywood hit "The Odyssey" in the country, which has prompted the industry to demand action.