"Complete Ban on Ticket Scalping": Harsher Penalties for Reselling Performance Tickets Above Face Value
Complete Ban on "Illegal Purchase and Sale" Regardless of Macro Program Use
Fines Up to 50 Times the Sale Price... Introduction of Scalping Reporting and Reward System
The practice of scalping-reselling performance tickets at a premium-will now be institutionally blocked. An amendment to the Performing Arts Act, which completely bans both the purchase of tickets for resale and the sale of tickets above face value regardless of whether macro programs are used, has passed the National Assembly's plenary session.
The partial amendment to the Performing Arts Act, sponsored by Assemblyman Park Soo-hyun of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee (Democratic Party of Korea, Gongju, Buyeo, Cheongyang in South Chungcheong Province), was approved at the National Assembly's plenary session on January 29.
Under the current Performing Arts Act, only ticket sales using macro programs were prohibited.
As a result, persistent criticism has been raised that high-priced resales and brokering activities have remained in a regulatory blind spot, given the technical difficulty of proving macro program use. There has also been criticism that the low level of penalties has had little deterrent effect.
The amendment defines scalping as both "illegal purchase" and "illegal sale," and completely bans the purchase of tickets for resale and the sale of tickets above face value, regardless of macro program use.
Illegal purchase is defined as acquiring tickets by circumventing or interfering with fair purchasing procedures, while illegal sale is defined as repeatedly or commercially selling or brokering tickets above purchase price without the seller's consent.
The amendment also imposes an obligation on ticket sellers and online sales intermediaries to prevent illegal activities, and allows the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to designate and operate an agency responsible for receiving and processing reports of violations.
In particular, the amendment significantly strengthens sanctions by allowing fines of up to 50 times the transaction amount for those engaging in illegal sales, and by permitting the confiscation or recovery of illicit gains.
Additionally, rewards may be granted to those who report illegal purchases or sales, and the management system has been improved to impose fines if parties fail to comply with requests for information from the reporting agency or submit false information.
Assemblyman Park stated, "Scalping has persisted due to technical limitations and low penalties. This amendment fills the legislative gap and marks an institutional turning point that will allow everyone to enjoy performances at fair prices."
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He added, "We will continue to improve the system to protect the performing arts ecosystem and establish a sound distribution order."
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