A single mat laid out, “For sale for 120,000 won”... Even middle schoolers charged for spots at the Busan Fireworks Festival
- Input
- 2026-11-09 07:44:15
- Updated
- 2026-11-09 07:44:15
[Financial News] Police caught eight people at the Busan Fireworks Festival, which drew a crowd of 1.2 million, for trying to scalp tickets at a premium or charge spectators for spots after laying out mats.
Yonhap News reported on the 8th that the Busan Metropolitan Police Agency had caught a total of eight people in a targeted crackdown on ticket scalping and illegal spot-fee collection around Gwangalli Beach, where the 21st Busan Fireworks Festival was held the previous day.
One of them, a man in his 30s, was caught trying to sell two R-seat tickets for the festival, listed at 200,000 won, for 300,000 won through a secondhand marketplace app on a street in Millak-dong, Suyeong District, around noon on the day of the event. At about 4 p.m. that day, a woman in her 40s was also caught in the act on a street in Gwangan-dong, trying to sell two S-seat tickets priced at 140,000 won for 200,000 won.
Police also caught people trying to collect spot fees by laying down mats and other items in advance to reserve spots, then attempting to hand them over to spectators for money.
Two men, one in his 20s and the other in his 30s, each laid out a mat on the beach at Gwangalli Beach to claim a spot, then tried to hand it over through a secondhand marketplace app in exchange for spot fees of 130,000 won and 100,000 won, respectively. Police caught them and imposed fines of 80,000 to 160,000 won under the Minor Offenses Act.
A middle school student who laid out a mat on the sand at Gwangalli Beach and tried to collect a spot fee of 100,000 won was also caught, but was given guidance and released because they were a minor.
Police said, “We will continue to carry out extensive crackdowns on illegal practices such as ticket scalping and charging for spots, which increase the burden on spectators and undermine a healthy festival atmosphere at festivals and performances that draw large crowds.”
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