South Korea Cracks Down on Ticket Scalping with Steep Fines
Creatrip Team
4 months ago
On Oct. 28 the National Assembly’s Cultural, Sports and Tourism Committee approved tougher measures against ticket scalping, allowing authorities to impose punitive fines up to 50 times the ticket price for illegal resale. The revision to the Performances Act and the National Sports Promotion Act bans both illicit purchase and resale of tickets regardless of whether macros (automated bots) were used, closes previous legal gaps, and allows seizure of proceeds. Whistleblowers may receive rewards. The move follows President Lee Jae-myung’s instruction to favor heavy administrative fines over criminal penalties. The committee also passed tighter online copyright blocks and a fivefold punitive damages rule for infringement, plus a law ensuring refunds for travelers who cancel outbound trips for personal reasons.
