"Hallasan Entrance Ticket 340,000 Won?" Police Launch Investigation into Scalping Surge

Attempts to Resell Free Exploration Reservation Tickets at a Premium Continue
"Posting Alone May Lead to Criminal Charges" Petition Under Review

The Hallasan National Park Office has filed a petition requesting a review on whether simply posting sales listings online can lead to criminal punishment. This is due to the rampant activity of attempting to trade Hallasan hiking reservation rights online.

On the 12th, the Jeju Eastern Police Station announced that on the 8th, the Hallasan National Park Office submitted a petition asking for a review on whether "posting sales posts of Hallasan hiking reservation QR codes" can be punished as obstruction of official duties by deception.

The first sunrise of the New Year over Hallasan
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The Hallasan National Park Office reportedly submitted the petition after receiving a report that a post appeared on an online secondhand trading site on January 1st offering to transfer a Hallasan night hiking reservation QR code for 349,000 won.

Since 2020, Jeju Province has limited the number of visitors on two courses, Seongpanak and Gwaneumsa, to preserve the Hallasan ecosystem. The daily visitor limit is 1,000 for Seongpanak and 500 for Gwaneumsa, and those wishing to climb Hallasan must make a reservation in advance.

In the past, it became known that anyone could enter with just the QR code, even if they were not the person who made the reservation, which led to a boom in online secondhand trading. Especially on New Year's Day, when demand for reaching the summit of Hallasan surges, or during times to enjoy snowy landscapes or autumn foliage, a reservation war breaks out, and attempts to sell hiking reservation rights at a premium have been rampant online. In 2022, after a popular entertainment program aired winter Hallasan, posts appeared offering to buy entrance tickets for 1 million won, causing controversy.

Since then, the Hallasan National Park Management Office has been verifying the QR code and ID at the trail entrance to confirm the identity of the person before allowing entry. They also introduced measures to ban both sellers and buyers from entering Hallasan for up to one year if caught trading hiking reservation rights. However, attempts to trade Hallasan hiking reservation rights continue to be repeatedly confirmed online.

A police official stated, "We plan to summon the petitioner to investigate whether the posts attempting to trade Hallasan hiking reservation rights caused waste of public authority, such as increasing the number of officials managing entry, or if there was any disruption to actual duty execution." They added, "Only if it is determined through fact verification and legal review that criminal punishment is possible can a formal investigation to identify suspects begin."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.