Ticket Scalping Cases For K-Pop Concerts Increase Significantly Since 2020 And It’s Worrying Politicians

Ticket scalping is the process when a scalper buys concert tickets in bulk and then resells them at higher prices for a profit. Cases of ticket scalping in K-Pop concerts have been increasing significantly in the past few years.

BLACKPINK | YG Entertainment

On October 17, during the parliamentary audit of the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Representative Ryu Ho Jung of the Justice Party addressed the issue of rising ticket scalping cases. He demanded a solution to eradicate ticket scalping to the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) ticket scalping reporting center, stating, “Ticket scalping is rampant in the performing arts industry.”

TWICE’s concert | JYP Entertainment

Representative Ryu Ho Jung mentioned the concert tickets of singer Lim Young Woong, stating that tickets are often resold for over 30 times the original price.

Starting from twice the original price, the more expensive tickets can be more than 30 times the original price, and the price for one ticket can exceed ₩5.00 million KRW (about $3,700 USD). The number of reports received by the ticket scalping reporting center is increasing day by day, but there have been zero proper measures taken.

— Ryu Ho Jung

This photo is for illustrative purposes only. | Canva

BTS‘s Busan concert tickets are also being posted on used trading platforms such as Daangn Market and BGZT. The transfer prices for the tickets vary widely, ranging from around ₩200,000 KRW (about $148 USD) to ₩800,000 KRW (about $592 USD).

BTS | Big Hit Entertainment

According to the data submitted by KOCCA to Representative Ryu Ho Jung, ticket scalping reports showed a significant increase, with 359 cases in 2020, 785 cases in 2021, and 4,224 cases in 2022.

In response, President Jo Hyun Rae of KOCCA explained that they have plans to enforce measures against ticket-scalping transactions.

With the amendment of the Performing Arts Act this year, administrative measures or enforcement measures against ticket scalping transactions can be taken from March next year. Especially the budget proposal, which includes legal advice within the government, has been reflected, so we can actively pursue it from next year.

— Jo Hyun Rae, President of KOCCA

| KOCCA

He also stated that they are working to come up with measures that they can take even before the law to mark the sports industry as a venture.

Ticket scalping happens in many concerts, and K-Pop is no exception. Last month, a ticket scalper selling IU‘s concert tickets was reported and had their resell tickets confiscated.