The K-Pop Industry Ticket Scalping Issue Continues Even In The New Year

As we enter a new year and the number of performances and concerts increases, the music industry is struggling again with ticket scalping. Scalpers are starting to be active as performances that were canceled due to the end of COVID-19 resumed.

Jang Beom June’s concert cancellation notice. | Jang Beom June’s Official YouTube Channel

Singer Jang Beom June canceled all his concert reservations starting from the first day of the new year. It was scheduled to be performed ten times from January 3 to February 1 at a small theater in Seoul, but many tickets were scalped. Jang Beom June announced on his YouTube channel, “Because we cannot solve the ticket scalping problem, we have decided to cancel all concert ticket reservations.”

Lim Young Woong’s concert ticket notice. | Interpark

Lim Young Woong, who goes through a ticketing crisis whenever news of his concert becomes known, is also one of the artists who has taken action to the serious problem of ticket scalping. If you go to the ticket sales website for his I’m Hero Tour 2023, which will be held from January 19-21, a notice will appear saying, “Today (12/18), 118 reservations presumed to be illegal reservations were forcibly canceled.”

VIP tickets for Lim Young Woong’s concert traded on online ticket trading platform | Ticketbay

However, on the ticket trading platform Ticket Bay, there is a post saying that VIP tickets for the performance are being sold for 1,000,000 KRW ($~759.14 USD). The regular price for VIP seats is 165,000 KRW ($~125.26. USD).

This case clearly shows the reality that no matter how many measures the agency takes, such as canceling fraudulent reservations, it is impossible to catch all fraudulent reservations and ticket scalpers. Above all, scalpers traded online cannot even be punished. Ticket scalping can be punished under misdemeanor punishment laws. However, this only applies to cases where the product is resold to others for more money offline, such as at a box office, stadium, station, ferry, or bus stop. That’s why these scalped tickets are posted online with inflated prices dozens of times higher.

However, with the revision of the Performance Act going into effect in March, illegal sales of admission tickets, etc. using macros (programs that automatically input specified commands repeatedly) will be banned, and violations of this can be punished with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine. However, ticket sales for various cultural events (festivals, award ceremonies, fan meetings, movie premieres, etc.) other than performances have the limitation of being in a blind spot.

In addition, some point out that realistically it is difficult to catch and punish macro use. Yoon Dong Hwan, president of the Recording Industry Association Of Korea, said, “Scalping tickets are organized in a corporate manner,” adding, “There are different people who use macros to reserve tickets, who sell them online for a premium, and those who sell them on-site. The person who used the macro to make a reservation did not sell it, so how can we punish such a case?”

Statistics show the number of people who have bought scalped tickets. | Korea Creative Content Agency

Ticket scalping has been increasing significantly recently. Over the past three years, the number of ticket scalpers reported to the Korea Creative Content Agency has skyrocketed from 359 cases in 2020 to 4,224 cases in 2022. It was found that quite a few people had experience purchasing scalped tickets. According to data surveyed last year by the Recording Industry Association Of Korea, 32.8% of people in their 20s answered that they had “purchased scalped tickets.”

Bae Seong Hee, an investigator at the National Assembly Research Service, said in a recent report, “There is a need to add online spaces to the range of places where ticket scalping is prohibited in the misdemeanor punishment law,” and “Even if the basis for regulating online ticket scalping is established, the police must actively crack down and conduct effective regulation.” Punishment is essential. They also pointed out that there is a need to change awareness through campaigns to eradicate ticket scalping.