AI-Generated Train Ticket Forgery Detected... KORAIL Requests Investigation into 35 Chuseok Scalping Cases

Employees Pose as Buyers, Eight Sellers Caught

Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has expelled eight railroad members for selling tickets on the black market and detected a passenger who forged tickets using generative artificial intelligence (AI), as part of its efforts to eradicate the illegal reselling and forgery of train tickets.

On October 2, KORAIL announced that it had requested an investigation into 35 suspected ticket scalping cases identified during this year's Chuseok holiday period.

Of these, 25 cases were reported by citizens through the 'Report Scalping' section on the KORAIL homepage and 'KORAIL+' mobile app, and the whistleblowers were rewarded with KTX discount coupons.

The remaining 10 cases, involving 8 sellers, were uncovered using a "mystery shopper" method, where company employees posed as buyers. The eight detected sellers had their membership revoked under the "Terms and Conditions of Railroad Membership Registration and Use."

A case of ticket forgery was exposed during in-train ticket inspection. On September 20, a passenger presenting a ticket forged using AI was apprehended and handed over to the Railroad Special Judicial Police. The passenger has been booked for forgery of valuable securities and is awaiting transfer to the prosecution.

There were also cases where fines were paid for ticket scalping. According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, two individuals who habitually and commercially engaged in scalping each paid an administrative fine of 6 million won in July. Under the current Railroad Business Act, habitual or commercial reselling of tickets at prices higher than face value is subject to a fine of up to 10 million won.

Lee Minseong, Head of KORAIL's Passenger Business Division, stated, "Ticket scalping and ticket forgery are clearly illegal activities. We will strengthen citizen reporting, undercover crackdowns, and in-train inspections to respond decisively and protect the legitimate rights of our passengers."

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