Piracy punishable by up to seven years in prison; ticket scalpers face fines up to 50 times sale price
South Korea has passed a series of revised laws aimed at curbing the illegal distribution of Korean content and banning ticket scalping in the performance and sports sectors, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Thursday.
The National Assembly approved amendments to the Copyright Act, the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act during a plenary session the same day, paving the way for stricter enforcement against two practices the government has described as major threats to the country’s cultural industries.
Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Chae Hwi-young had previously labeled illegal content distribution and ticket scalping as the “two most intractable problems” facing Korea’s cultural sector during a policy briefing to President Lee Jae Myung in December, pledging swift legislative action.
Emergency site blocking, punitive damages
The revised Copyright Act introduces an emergency site-blocking mechanism that allows the culture minister to order internet service providers to immediately block access to copyright-infringing websites when violations are deemed clear and likely to cause irreparable harm.
Notably, the new system enables the ministry to block access to illegal sites hosted overseas — a power previously exercised only by the Korea Communications Standards Commission — allowing faster action by whichever authority identifies the violation first.
The amendment also introduces punitive damages for intentional or repeated copyright infringement. Courts may now award damages of up to five times the recognized losses, taking into account factors such as intent, scale of damage, economic gains from infringement, and the duration and frequency of violations.
Criminal penalties have also been strengthened: maximum punishment has increased from up to five years in prison to seven, while fines have been raised from 50 million won to 100 million won ($35,000 to $70,000). The commercial operation of sites that provide links to pirated content, as well as posting such links for profit, will now be explicitly punishable.
The government estimates that illegal distribution causes more than 4 trillion won in annual losses to the Korean content industry.
Most provisions of the revised Copyright Act will enter into force six months after promulgation, while emergency site-blocking measures will be implemented earlier, after three months. Punitive damages will apply only to violations committed after the law takes effect.
All ticket scalping banned, platform responsibility expanded
Amendments to the Performance Act and National Sports Promotion Act introduce a sweeping ban on all forms of ticket scalping, regardless of whether automated programs, or “macros,” are used.
Previously, enforcement focused on scalping involving macro programs, making it difficult for authorities to prosecute cases where such tools could not be technically proven. Under the revised laws, any attempt to bypass or disrupt fair ticket purchasing processes for resale purposes, or to repeatedly sell tickets at prices exceeding face value for profit, will be illegal.
The amendments also place new legal obligations on ticket sellers and online marketplace operators, requiring them to implement technical and administrative measures to prevent illegal resale. The government said the shift reflects a recognition that ticket scalping is a systemic distribution problem, rather than the misconduct of an isolated individual.
Penalties include administrative fines of up to 50 times the ticket sale amount, confiscation or recovery of illicit profits, and strengthened investigative authority for designated reporting agencies. Failure by ticket sellers or platforms to comply with data submission requests may result in fines of up to 5 million won.
A whistleblower reward system will also be introduced to encourage public reporting of illegal ticket transactions, with the government aiming to disrupt what it estimates to be a ticket scalping market worth over 100 billion won annually.
The revised ticketing laws are set to take effect in the second half of this year. Ahead of implementation, the ministry plans to establish a public-private task force and launch public awareness campaigns to curb scalping practices.
Minister Chae said the passage of the bills marked the culmination of months of consultations with industry stakeholders.
“These amendments reflect our commitment to resolving the real difficulties faced on the ground,” Chae said. “They will play a significant role in eliminating illegal content distribution and ticket scalping, both of which undermine the sustainable growth of K-culture and its ecosystem.”
gypark@heraldcorp.com
