"Even a Free Hangang Spot Costs 150,000 Won"... Fireworks Festival 'Prime Spot' Resale Booms

[Financial News] Ahead of the Seoul International Fireworks Festival on the 5th, premium spots with a clear view of the fireworks are being sold at a markup, from Han River-view hotel stays and paid seating to even free public spaces. But there is little that can be done to stop it on site, so the Seoul Metropolitan Government is relying on guidance and has asked resale platforms to block such posts.
A Financial News review of major resale platforms on the 1st found that a premium room at Hotel A in Yeouido was listed at 2.5 million won for one night on the festival day. A regular weekend stay in the same room costs around 1.1 million won, more than twice as much.
At nearby Hotel B, a room on the festival day was listed at about 800,000 won on a booking platform. But on resale platforms, posts offered hotel stays and fireworks-viewing packages for 1.1 million to 1.6 million won.
Official seating is no exception. This year's paid seats on Nodeul Island cost between 110,000 and 220,000 won depending on the section, but resale sites showed posts offering two adjacent seats for 500,000 won. Hanwha, the organizer, says tickets traded through unofficial channels can be canceled. Still, sellers tried to lure buyers by saying the tickets were transferable and that they would hand them over in person after receiving a deposit.
Even free public spaces have been given price tags. One seller said they would secure a prime fireworks-viewing spot at Bamseom Park in Seoul from early dawn with a picnic mat and asked 150,000 won per spot. Other posts offered to reserve a spot along the Han River for 90,000 to 100,000 won.
The problem is that such transactions are difficult to crack down on immediately at the scene. Although regulations against scalped tickets in the performance and sports sectors were strengthened starting on the 28th of last month, the Seoul International Fireworks Festival does not fall under the Public Performance Act, making those rules hard to apply. Reserving a free spot at a Hangang park and then taking money to hand it over is not even a ticket transaction, which makes regulation even more difficult.
An official at the Future Hangang Headquarters said, "We can take steps to maintain order on site, but we do not have the authority to identify private transactions or investigate them." The official added, "It is also difficult to tell whether someone is using the spot themselves or selling it."
The Seoul Metropolitan Government recently sent a request to resale platforms such as Karrot Market and Joonggonara to block posts about selling picnic mats, reserving spots on behalf of others, and trading tickets at inflated prices. It also plans to install banners at Yeouido Hangang Park asking people to refrain from reserving spots in advance.
A Seoul Metropolitan Government official explained, "If structures are installed, it could become an issue of illegal occupation, but it is difficult to determine on site whether a picnic mat was placed for ordinary public use or for sale."
Platforms are also introducing their own restrictions. A Karrot Market official said, "Selling or renting out a seat or space is a prohibited item," adding, "We are taking action by monitoring continuously and hiding posts that violate our policy based on user reports."
Still, blind spots remain because administrative authorities find it difficult to determine sellers' intent on site, and platforms rely on monitoring and user reports. Even now, four days before the festival, posts continue to appear from people trying to sell prime spots, hotel stays, and viewing tickets at inflated prices.
The Karrot Market official warned, "Tickets that require identity verification can lead to disputes, such as personal information leaking during the transaction process or entry being denied after identity checks fail on site." The official added, "Please be careful with private transactions, as these tickets are managed as prohibited items."

[email protected] Choi Seung-han Reporter