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South Korea to fine ticket scalpers up to 50 times resale price
New penalties starting August 28 raise the maximum fine from 10 million won to as much as 50 times the ticket’s resale price, after police said a scalping ring profited from 33,000 tickets.
South Korea will escalate penalties for ticket scalping, with amendments set to take effect on August 28 that allow authorities to impose fines of up to 50 times the resale price of a ticket, according to SCMP Economy.
The move follows earlier efforts that relied largely on “macro” tools to counter automated buying. SCMP Economy reports that officials found scalping is increasingly tied to more elaborate workarounds that can include gaming identity checks required by ticketing systems.
In March, police arrested 16 members of a scalping ring accused of reselling more than 33,000 tickets for about 190 concerts between October 2022 and the end of 2025. SCMP Economy says the alleged operation generated 7.1 billion won, or about US$4.7 million, in illegal profits and used AI-powered macros to stockpile tickets before ordinary fans could access them.
The government is betting that the higher fines will deter predatory resellers after previous laws, including a maximum fine introduced in March 2024, were not enough to stop the practice, SCMP Economy reports.