"65 Million Won for a Cafe Window, 400,000 Won for a Lawn Spot"... 'No Way to Stop' Outrageous Prime Spot Selling

Even Free Hangang Park Spots Become Commodities

Starbucks Viewing Passes More Than Double in Price

From Tickets to Hotels, Living Rooms, Parking Spots, and Picnic Mats—Everything Is Up for Trade

Ahead of the “Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026,” which will be held on the 5th around Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, scalping and seat trading for so-called “prime fireworks viewing spots” are rampant. Paid viewing tickets, originally priced at 110,000 to 220,000 won, are being listed on the secondhand market for as much as 500,000 won, while even free spots in Hangang Park are being sold for hundreds of thousands of won, leading to what is being called a “spot marketplace.”

Ahead of the 'Seoul World Fireworks Festival 2026' to be held on the 5th at Yeouido Hangang Park in Seoul, scalping and seat trading around the so-called 'prime fireworks viewing spots' are rampant. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

Hosted by Hanwha, the Seoul World Fireworks Festival will take place on the 5th at Yeouido Hangang Park. This year, Hanwha held a lottery to distribute two “Golden Tickets” each to 400 people and will operate the entire Nodeul Island as a paid viewing area called the “Orange Play Zone.” The Orange Play Zone offers about 700 seats, with ticket prices set between 110,000 and 220,000 won depending on the area.

However, as the festival date approaches, prices in the online secondhand market have soared. On the 2nd, a listing was found on Danggeun Market offering Orange Play Zone tickets for 500,000 won. This is more than double the price of the most expensive official tickets, and more than quadruple the 110,000 won tickets.

Tickets for nearby facilities offering views of the fireworks have also become targets in the premium resale market.

The Starbucks Yeouido Hangang Park branch this year sold 27 two-person viewing packages to watch the fireworks from the store. Depending on the river view, the packages were priced at 200,000 or 300,000 won but sold out in just 30 seconds after sales began. Subsequently, posts appeared in the secondhand market offering the package for 650,000 won, and some posts even offered to purchase them for 500,000 won.

Even Free Hangang Park Spots Are Being Sold as 'Products'

What has sparked even greater controversy is the practice of charging money for spots in Hangang Park, a public area free for anyone to use. On the 3rd, a post appeared on an online secondhand trading platform selling a “prime spot” in Yeouido Hangang Park for 400,000 won. The seller first reserves the prime spot and then transfers it to the buyer. Conversely, a listing offering 300,000 won for someone to hold a spot until 5 p.m. attracted 99 applicants. Other posts are also emerging from people offering between 39,000 and 50,000 won for someone to save a spot for them.

What has sparked even greater controversy is the practice of charging money for spaces in the Hangang Park, which is free for anyone to use. On the 3rd, a post appeared on an online secondhand trading platform selling a "prime spot" in Yeouido Hangang Park for 400,000 won. The seller first occupies the prime spot and then transfers it to the buyer. The Asia Business Daily

Some sellers are known to secure their spots from the day before the festival by laying down mats or belongings or physically staying at the site. What was once a simple “race to claim a spot” has now evolved into prime locations in public spaces being treated and traded like commodities. Public sentiment is far from positive. In an interview with Channel A, one citizen pointed out that occupying a spot for money could “cause inconvenience to ordinary spectators.” Last year, there was also online criticism of scenes where mats were left out for extended periods without people, comparing it to “placing items in a public parking lot to reserve a space” and insisting that such practices “should be regulated.”

Hotels Reaching Several Million Won... ‘Fireworks Premium’ Spreads Across Yeouido

The fireworks festival boom is also spreading to accommodation and venue rental markets. Secondhand trading platforms have posts offering to rent indoor spaces near Mapo Bridge with fireworks views, along with listings for Yongsan and Yeouido hotel stays with hefty premiums. Rooms at some riverside-view hotels during the event are reportedly priced at 2 million to 3 million won, with some even reaching into the 6 million won range. Some apartment owners are renting out their private living rooms specifically for fireworks viewing, making the “fireworks view” itself a type of short-term commodity being actively traded.

The problem is that, aside from the moral debate, many of these transactions are difficult to directly sanction under the current anti-scalping regulations. Amendments to the Performing Arts Act and the National Sports Promotion Act went into effect on August 28, significantly tightening restrictions on scalping concert and sports tickets. The new regulations ban unfair purchases that bypass or obstruct the proper buying process for the purpose of resale, whether macros are used or not. They also prohibit recurring or commercial resale above the original price without the seller's consent. Violators can face fines of up to 50 times the sale amount and up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won for illegal buying or selling.

Citizens waiting for the event at Yeouido Hangang Park, where the 2022 Seoul International Fireworks Festival was held. The Asia Business Daily

However, the Seoul World Fireworks Festival is not directly subject to these regulations. Under the Performing Arts Act, only “artistic viewing events” such as music, dance, theater, and musicals are regulated, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has concluded that fireworks festivals do not fall under these legal definitions, making it difficult to apply anti-scalping laws. Movie tickets and hotel stays are not included in the scope of current anti-scalping laws for performances or sporting events, either.

In particular, occupying a free Hangang Park spot in advance and then selling it for money is even more ambiguous. Legal experts say that while monopolizing and selling public space for personal gain could fall under shared property rules or local government ordinances, it is difficult to prove actual monetary exchange for seats, and there are virtually no prosecution precedents, making effective enforcement very challenging.

Citizens who watched the 2022 Seoul International Fireworks Festival are waiting for buses to return home. The Asia Business Daily

In response, both the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Hanwha have begun to take action. Seoul has sent official requests to secondhand trading platforms such as Danggeun Market and Junggonara, asking them to block or restrict posts about fireworks festival tickets and spot trading. At the event site, banners will request people to refrain from reserving excessive space with mats and personal items, and officials will provide on-site guidance. The festival’s management office has also requested secondhand platforms to delete and monitor posts selling invitation tickets. However, since the city lacks clear legal grounds to directly police private spot trading under current law, these measures are essentially little more than recommendations.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.