President Lee: "We Will Pursue Ticket Scalpers to the End... All Illegitimate Profits Will Be Recovered"

Scalper Arrested for Selling Tickets at Up to 30 Times Face Value

"Will Ensure Even Greater Consequences," Says President Lee

Revised Performance Act Enforced From August 28

Fine Up to 50 Times the Illegal Sale Price for Ticket Scalpi

On September 17, President Lee Jae-myung stated regarding illegal scalping of concert and sports tickets, "We will track down these activities to the end and will make sure to recover all unjust profits gained." His remarks reaffirmed the administration's strong stance against illegal ticket trading, following the recent implementation of the revised Performance Act, which significantly strengthened penalties for scalping, and the police's apprehension of a large-scale ticket scalper.

President Lee Jae-myung is speaking at the senior secretaries meeting held at the Blue House on the 3rd. 2026.9.3 Yonhap News Photo by Yonhap

President Lee posted on his X account (formerly Twitter) on the same day, describing scalping as "a transaction that deprives others of the opportunity to attend." He added, "The revised Performance Act, which took effect on August 28, is proving effective."

President Lee particularly emphasized, "A scalper who resold tickets for idol performances, concerts by international artists visiting Korea, and sports games at up to 30 times the original price, collecting billions of won in profit, was apprehended," adding, "We will make it clear that anyone who seeks unfair gains through scalping will inevitably face far greater consequences." He also thanked law enforcement, stating, "Thank you to all police officers for your dedication and hard work."

The Second Cybercrime Investigation Unit of the Gyeonggi Northern Provincial Police Agency announced the previous day that it had detained and sent for prosecution a man in his 30s, who allegedly used macro programs to purchase in bulk tickets for popular performances and sporting events and then resold them for a profit. Between September 2018 and April this year, the man allegedly bought 8,967 tickets and resold them for a total of approximately 2.4 billion won.

The police estimate that about two-thirds of these proceeds constituted profit. For example, tickets to a BTS concert originally priced at 110,000 won were resold for up to 3 million won, about 30 times the face value. Authorities have identified criminal proceeds totaling 1.26 billion won, including properties and bonds, which have been preserved and seized prior to indictment.

The revised Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act, both enforced since August 28, ban the illegal purchase of tickets for the purpose of resale, regardless of whether macro programs are used, as well as the habitual or commercial sale of tickets above the original purchase price. Violators can face fines of up to 50 times the sale amount, and illegal profits can be confiscated or collected through forfeiture. Whistleblowers may also be eligible for rewards within a specified range.

However, in this most recent case, the detected illegal scalping occurred through April of this year, prior to the revised law taking effect. Therefore, the police have charged the suspect under allegations including obstruction of business. The government plans to use the enforcement of the revised act as an opportunity to tighten crackdowns on scalping, in cooperation with the police, ticketing agencies, and secondhand trading platforms.

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