On March 1, the singer IU introduced the 'secret royal inspector’ system, rewarding fans who caught illegal scalpers with concert tickets. In addition, she declared war on ticket scalping by taking measures such as expelling those attempting to scalp tickets from the fan club and suspending the use of their accounts. According to a 2023 survey on 'User Opinions on Concert Booking and Ticket Scalping,' 36.4% of victims of ticket scamming responded that they "feel less eager to see concerts." Furthermore, 20.8% said they "feel less eager to see concerts by the respective agency." Not only the victims of ticket scamming but also those who had purchased scalped tickets at high prices responded that they "decreased the frequency of attending the respective singer's concerts." As such, ticket scalping is having a negative impact in various ways.
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| ▲ Singer IU permanently expelled her fans who tried to make illegal reservations. (Photo from IU’s official fan club) |
Scalping is rampant across all genres. Last year, tickets for pop star Bruno Mars' concert in Korea sold out less than an hour after booking began. However, the tickets were sold on second-hand websites after the sellout. There were even posts selling eight consecutive seats for 180 million won. The sports world is no different. Last year, when the LG Twins baseball team advanced to the Korean Series for the first time in 21 years, fan interest increased, and many scalped tickets were released exploiting this heat. Some fans had no choice but to buy 100,000 won tickets for an extra 300,000 to 400,000 won.
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| ▲ Bruno Mars concert tickets are scalped for 180 million won. (Photo from secondhand website) |
Efforts are being made in various areas to eradicate ticket scalping. Trot singer Lim Young-woong has taken strong measures to cancel tickets immediately, considered illegal transactions without prior notice. He also urged his fans to be cautious of ticket scalping and fraud. OTT platform Coupang Play, which hosts the 'MLB World Tour Seoul Series' in March, has taken action to block ticket scalping completely. They allow only a maximum of 2 tickets per person and require identification to verify, restricting entry to only one accompanying person. They have also established rules prohibiting re-entry upon exit. Legal improvements are also made. According to the Public Performance Act, effective on March 22, tickets should not be purchased using the macro programs and resold at inflated prices. If tickets are purchased and resold through macros, offenders will face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won. The National Sports Promotion Act has also been revised to punish sports ticket scalpers based on the same standards as the Public Performance Act.
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| ▲ A promotional post encouraging the report of illegal tickets is on the professional sports reservation window. (Photo from KPSA) |
Ticket scalping is a harmful practice that undermines healthy cultural activities. Although the law is revised and shows a willingness to cut off the scalping problem with strict penalties, the problem persists as the methods used by scalpers evolve with preventive measures. Achieving the complete eradication of ticket scalping requires significant effort. Consumers must adopt attitudes and awareness that refrain from purchasing scalped tickets to promote a wholesome culture of live performances.
배서연, 박상우 dankookherald@gmail.com
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