On the 14th at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in Songpa District, Seoul. Police officers stood among fans who had flocked to watch the wild-card decider between the LG Twins and the Doosan Bears. Sashes over their shoulders read “The undercover inspectors catching scalpers with the whole nation.”
Police officers and Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) officials also marched around Jamsil Baseball Stadium holding hand signs that read phrases such as “Protect fall baseball.” The aim was to stop scalping transactions and urge people to follow safety rules.
A person surnamed Kim (41), who came to the stadium with family, said, “I hope authorities crack down more thoroughly on scalping transactions so the fall baseball so many fans enjoy isn’t tainted.”
◇Joint crackdown on scalping begins… fines up to 10 million won
The Korean National Police Agency, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO) launched a concentrated crackdown on scalping starting this day as the fall baseball season began. In addition to existing online reporting and monitoring, they strengthened on-site enforcement.
An anti-scalping campaign booth was set up near the central ticket office at Jamsil Baseball Stadium. They were running a roulette event where participants could receive hand warmers. A person in their 20s, identified as A, who came with a friend to watch the game, said, “There were so many scalpers that fans who actually wanted to watch the game struggled to get tickets,” adding, “I hope the scalping culture is rooted out.”
A joint enforcement team to block scalping transactions was deployed not only at the Jamsil Baseball Stadium ticket office but also inside the nearby subway station and at the exits. Plainclothes officers were also part of the team. A police official noted, “Members are keeping watch while communicating with each other in real time.”
◇Online posts selling fall baseball tickets at “nine times face value”
With the revised National Sports Promotion Act taking effect in Aug. this year, penalties for scalping have been significantly toughened. Previously, even if someone was caught making a scalping transaction on-site, they only had to pay a 160,000 won summary fine under the Minor Offenses Act. Under the revised law, however, violators can face up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
Despite tougher penalties and on-site crackdowns, scalped tickets are still easy to find on online transaction platforms. On one domestic ticket resale platform, postseason game tickets ranked No. 1 among popular listings. As of 3 p.m. that day, 170 tickets had been posted. Ten posts offering scalped tickets were also found on another secondhand transaction platform.
Scalped tickets for fall baseball games were being transacted at about two to three times face value. In one case, a ticket with a face value of 120,000 won was listed on a transaction platform for a sale price of 1.1 million won. No items were listed below face value. Only selling at or below the purchase price or face value does not constitute illicit sales.
Most transactions were carried out by exchanging mobile tickets. Through the app or website used to book the ticket, the seller generates a password and sends it along with the ticket. In effect, buyers can purchase scalped tickets without meeting the seller in person.
◇Scalping tactics evolve with “trick scalping”… calls for additional policy fixes
Along with stronger crackdowns, calls continue to fix institutional loopholes. A prime example is the need for mechanisms that require online transaction platforms to actively block abnormal transactions. While online transaction platforms are obligated to provide identity verification for buyers and sellers and a function to report illicit sales, they are not subject to sanctions such as a penalty surcharge of up to 50 times.
Scalping methods are also becoming more cunning. This is the so-called “trick scalping.” For example, the seller claims to sell the ticket at face value but bundles it with another product carrying a markup.
Rep. Jeong Yeon-uk of the People Power Party raised the issue at the Culture. Sports. and Tourism Committee’s parliamentary audit on the 7th. Jeong said, “Scalpers are evading enforcement with so-called ‘bundled sales’ that sell tickets together with other products,” adding, “We need to shorten the process from reporting scalping to actual investigation and establish a one-stop response system.”
