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[스포츠뉴스]As scalpers tighten their grip on ticket market, more regular fans are getting squeezed out

온카뱅크관리자

2025-11-29 15:14:00

<div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/11/29/0000080886_001_20251129151510727.jpg" alt="" />Police crack down on tickets near Hanwha Life Eagles Park in Daejeon following reports of scalpers ahead of an October playoff game. [DAEJEON METROPOLITAN POLICE AGENCY] </div> </div> “I clicked as soon as the clock struck the hour, but the tickets sold out in a minute. Yet less than 10 minutes later, I saw hundreds of scalped tickets listed online for two to three million won [$1,360 to $2,040] each,” said Choi Soo-hyeon, 32, an office worker who had hoped to see a popular K-pop group perform later this year. After failing to secure the tickets she so desperately wanted, Choi described the experience as a lost cause. “Buying at face value has long felt like winning the lottery,” she said. Like Choi, many fans are willing to spend tens of thousands of won on travel and accommodation just to see their favorite performers, but if they fail to get tickets, all those plans go up in smoke. “We spend time and money, but in the end, only the scalpers profit,” fans say. With the year-end concert season approaching, the battle against ticket resellers has become the entertainment industry’s biggest challenge. Demand has surged not only for K-pop bands but also for international pop stars, renowned classical musicians and popular musicals. As demand has soared, so have the opportunities for scalpers. According to data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, reports of illegal online ticket sales for professional sports jumped from 6,237 cases in 2020 to 259,334 cases from January to August this year &#8212; an increase of more than 40 times in just five years. Considering the data only covers January through August, the total for the year is expected to approach 400,000 cases. Scalped ticket prices have skyrocketed. Tickets for the 2025 Korean Series sold for as much as 9.99 million won this year. <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/11/29/0000080886_002_20251129151510803.jpg" alt="" />Boy band NCT Wish “2025 NCT WISH ASIA TOUR LOG in Seoul” concert held at the Broadway Theatre in Macau on March 21, 22 and 23 [SM ENTERTAINMENT] </div> </div> Likewise, tickets for boy band NCT Wish, which cost 198,000 won at face value, were being resold for 9.7 million won, drawing widespread public outrage. “It was already difficult to get tickets through mobile booking and now with scalpers snatching up everything, what are people like me supposed to do?” Jeong Seong-hwan, 63, a lifelong baseball fan, said. The problem is not limited to domestic acts. When legendary British rock band Oasis returned to Korea last month for the first time in 16 years, resellers once again sparked frustration. Lim Jeong-bin, 37, a longtime fan of the British band, said, “Because of a few scalpers, fans who had dreamed of seeing the band in person were left empty-handed. I considered buying an overpriced ticket just to attend, but that felt like rewarding the scalpers, so I couldn’t do it.” <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/11/29/0000080886_003_20251129151510950.jpg" alt="" />Oasis performs during its ″Oasis Live '25″ world tour at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi on Oct. 21. [LIVE NATION KOREA] </div> </div> The harm caused by scalpers goes beyond high prices. Counterfeit tickets are also becoming an issue. Fake QR codes can prevent entry and refunds are often impossible, leading to direct financial losses for consumers. “Sometimes the show is delayed because staff have to deal with audiences who bought counterfeit tickets,” one concert organizer said. Insider leaks are also a serious problem. A recent scandal revealed that a former manager of a popular singer had stolen tickets and sold them online, causing an uproar on social media. Lee Hong-joo, a consumer economics professor at Sookmyung Women’s University, said the core of the problem lies with "large-scale brokers who specialize exclusively in securing and reselling tickets." “Those who purchase thousands of tickets at once using automated programs are completely undermining market fairness,” Prof. Lee said. “The issue has become even more serious as global demand for tickets has surged with the worldwide popularity of K-pop and other Korean cultural content.” <div class="ab_photo photo_center ab_zoom"> <div class="image"> <img src="https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/640/2025/11/29/0000080886_004_20251129151511103.jpg" alt="" />Police patrol looking for ticket scalpers at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu in October 2024. [YONHAP] </div> </div> As the vicious cycle of tickets selling out instantly and resellers dominating the market continues across concerts and sports events, both the government and the National Assembly have stepped up. The government announced earlier this year that it would pass three amendments aimed at curbing ticket scalping during the National Assembly’s regular session. On Friday, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee approved amendments allowing fines of up to 50 times a ticket’s face value, far exceeding President Lee Jae Myung’s earlier statement that fines could be raised up to 30 times. Yet experts agree that curbing scalping will require deeper and more systemic measures. “Imposing large fines is likely more effective than punishing as a minor offense, but it is not enough,” attorney Ryu Jong-min said. “Introducing a reward system that gives whistle-blowers about 10 percent off the ticket price could also be considered.” Prof. Lee Lee added, “An official resale system, as used successfully in Japan, is also worth examining.” This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.

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