Ticket Scalping and AI-Forged Train Tickets Under Scrutiny... Korea Railroad Corporation Cracks Down on Illegal Activities

[Financial News] Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) has stepped up efforts to eliminate illegal ticket transactions by cracking down on train-ticket scalping during holiday periods, forcibly expelling violators, and uncovering a new form of ticket-forgery crime involving generative artificial intelligence (AI).
 KORAIL said on the 2nd that it had referred all 35 suspected ticket-scalping transactions detected during this year's Chuseok holiday period for investigation. Of these, 25 cases were identified through reports submitted by citizens to the "Report Scalping" forum on KORAIL's official website and mobile app, KORAIL+. KORAIL provided the informants with KTX discount coupons. The remaining 10 cases, involving eight sellers, were uncovered through a mystery-shopper operation in which employees posed as buyers. KORAIL immediately revoked the memberships of the eight identified sellers under its "Terms and Conditions on Railway Membership and Use."
 Under the current Railroad Service Act, repeatedly or commercially reselling tickets at a markup is subject to an administrative fine of up to 10 million won. In fact, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), two people who repeatedly or commercially traded scalped tickets were fined and each paid 6 million won in July.
 A new crime exploiting advances in technology has also been dealt a blow. As part of efforts to strengthen onboard ticket inspections, KORAIL caught a passenger who presented a ticket forged using generative AI and handed the individual over to the Railway Special Judicial Police Corps. The passenger was booked on suspicion of securities forgery and is awaiting transfer to prosecutors.
 Lee Min-seong, head of KORAIL's Passenger Business Division, said, "Ticket scalping and ticket forgery are clearly illegal acts," adding, "We will further strengthen citizen reporting, undercover enforcement, and onboard ticket inspections to protect the rights of legitimate passengers."
 In recent years, scalping has intensified on secondhand trading platforms and social media whenever holiday train-ticket reservations open, repeatedly leaving people who genuinely need tickets unable to obtain them. Professional operators have also become increasingly active, using macro programs to secure large quantities of tickets and reselling them with premiums of tens of thousands of won. As a result, calls have continued for effective legal sanctions and systemic measures to block the practice, going beyond simple administrative penalties.

[email protected] Kim Won-jun Reporter