‘Fall Baseball’ Ticket Scalping Now Punishable by Prison Time; Police Launch Crackdown Around Stadiums

[Financial News] Ahead of the professional baseball postseason, police will launch an intensive crackdown on ticket scalping around major stadiums. Under the revised National Sports Promotion Act, those who repeatedly sell tickets on the black market or do so for commercial purposes can now face prison time.
The National Police Agency said on the 13th that it would conduct a joint crackdown with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), starting on the 14th, around major stadiums hosting professional baseball postseason games in Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju and Suwon, Gyeonggi Province.
The crackdown aims to stop illegal ticket scalping that takes advantage of the surge in demand during the postseason and protect baseball fans’ opportunities to attend games.
In particular, penalties for ticket scalping have been tightened under the revised National Sports Promotion Act, which took effect on August 28. Previously, even when scalping was caught at the scene, the penalty was limited to a 160,000-won fine under the Minor Offenses Act. The revised law stipulates that anyone who repeatedly or for commercial purposes sells admission tickets or similar items for more than they paid for them, or brokers such sales, is subject to up to one year in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.
Police plan to deploy plainclothes officers and joint patrol teams from relevant agencies near ticket booths, subway station exits and along spectators’ main routes before and after games. They will focus on cracking down on organized ticket scalping and touting, among other activities.
Alongside on-site enforcement, police will also run public awareness activities to prevent illegal ticket scalping. Building on a memorandum of understanding signed by the National Police Agency and KBO last year, they will continue their campaign to stamp out scalping while also promoting awareness of ways to prevent online gambling among young people and voice phishing scams.
A National Police Agency official said, “Ticket scalping at baseball stadiums is a serious crime that can carry severe criminal penalties. We will crack down firmly on illegal scalping that exploits fans’ passion and deprives them of fair opportunities to attend games, and continue working with relevant agencies to establish a healthy culture among spectators.”
[email protected] Kim Ye-ji Reporter