The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on the 5th that it held the inauguration ceremony of the "Public-Private Consultative Body for Preventing Performance and Sports Ticket Scalping" at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Seoul in Jongno-gu, presided over by Minister Choi Hwi-young. The consultative body is a government-wide public-private joint cooperation system designed to structurally eradicate ticket scalping in the performance and sports sectors ahead of the August implementation of the recently revised Performance Act and National Sports Promotion Act.
Minister Choi Hwi-young said in his opening remarks, "The effect of eradicating ticket scalping will only appear when the roles of each organization are organically connected—from blocking fraudulent activities at the reservation stage, constant monitoring, rapid information sharing with investigative agencies, to public awareness campaigns, along with the legislative revision." He added, "I expect the consultative body to become a permanent cooperation structure and practical execution platform for eradicating ticket scalping in the cultural industry."
He also added, "As the BTS concert (to be held at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul on the 21st) draws significant public attention, we will work closely with relevant agencies and the industry before the law takes effect to make it a model case for responding to ticket scalping."
A total of 18 organizations participated in the inauguration ceremony, including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, related government agencies (Fair Trade Commission, National Police Agency), major ticket vendors (Nol Ticket, Melon Ticket, Yes24, Coupang Play, Ticket Link), major secondhand trading platforms (Naver, Danggeun Market, Jungonara, Ticket Bay), professional sports associations, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association, the Korea Music Content Association, and organizations operating ticket scalping report centers (Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, Korea Creative Content Agency).
Each organization presented its plans for eradicating ticket scalping and measures for improving public awareness and promotion. First, ticket vendors announced they would establish a system to constantly block fraudulent purchases by introducing advanced security solutions, operate integrated monitoring and fraud reporting channels through internal surveillance, customer tips, and cooperation with event organizers, and strengthen investigative cooperation by establishing a data-sharing system with relevant agencies.
Secondhand trading platforms announced they would periodically inspect suspected scalping transactions and revise their terms and operational policies related to ticket scalping, including progressively strengthening sanctions such as deleting posts, warning sellers, and restricting transactions upon detection.
KBO and the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association said they would conduct ongoing on-site monitoring ("secret inspectors") and spread awareness of ticket scalping eradication through events such as participation challenges and major league events. The Fair Trade Commission proposed closely monitoring compliance with newly introduced obligations under the revised Electronic Commerce Act (effective July)—including secondhand trading platforms' duties to verify seller identity information, distinguish business sellers, and cooperate in dispute resolution—to prevent the occurrence of illegal activities such as ticket scalping in advance. It also proposed quickly sharing relevant information with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and cooperating in investigations when suspected scalping transactions are identified through the Korea Consumer Agency and FTC regional offices' reporting and consultation processes.
The National Police Agency announced plans to actively arrest fraudulent ticket scalpers based on the cooperation system established with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other related agencies.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "With the launch of this consultative body as an opportunity, we plan to spread awareness that 'ticket scalping is illegal' and establish a foundation for practical eradication of ticket scalping by pursuing both institutional and on-site responses." It added, "We plan to form subcommittees under the consultative body and continue working-level consultations, including preparing presidential decrees and establishing industry-wide joint response systems."