Punishment for Reselling Tickets Purchased with 'Macro'

Partial Amendment to the 'Performance Act' Effective from the 22nd
Up to 1 Year Imprisonment or Fine up to 10 Million KRW
Same Applies to Sports Tickets... Reporting Website Launched

The practice of reselling performance and sports tickets obtained through macro programs at inflated prices is expected to be eradicated. On the 18th, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced that the partial amendment to the 'Performance Act,' which includes penalties for illegal sales, will take effect from the 22nd. A macro program is a set of commands that automatically repeats designated instructions on an information and communication network. It buys up large quantities of tickets for popular singers' concerts and professional sports games. These tickets are then illegally resold online, becoming a social issue.

On the 24th, when the movie 'Avengers: Endgame' was released, a scalper wearing a hat was urging a citizen to purchase movie tickets at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. According to the Korea Film Council's integrated computer network data, as of 8 a.m. that day, the movie reservation rate was 97.0%, and the number of reserved viewers surpassed 2,260,712. Attention is focused on how far the success of 'Avengers: Endgame,' which exceeded 2 million reserved viewers, will continue. Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

The 'Minor Offenses Punishment Act,' enacted in 1973, only targeted illegal ticket sales conducted on-site. The penalty was relatively light, with fines up to 200,000 won. The amended 'Performance Act' prohibits purchasing performance tickets using macro programs and reselling them. Violators face imprisonment of up to one year or fines up to 10 million won. The same applies to sports tickets. The partial amendment to the 'National Sports Promotion Act,' which includes similar penalties, passed the National Assembly plenary session on the 29th of last month.

Minister Yoo In-chon of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism stated, "Illegal ticket sales threaten the foundation of our cultural and sports market order," adding, "We will establish distribution order by implementing various policies to eradicate and prevent this issue."

In line with the enforcement of the law, the Ministry opened an integrated (illegal ticket) reporting website on the 2nd and promoted it at the top of internet search portals. The reporting website provides detailed information on the enforcement regulations and the methods and procedures for reporting illegal ticket sales. Information on suspected illegal ticket transactions received through reports is promptly shared with ticket reservation agencies for swift action. A ministry official said, "We will also operate a period encouraging illegal ticket reporting during the peak performance season," and "Reporters who provide meaningful information will be rewarded with cultural gift certificates and other incentives."

The Ministry is also strengthening cooperation with the Cyber Crime Investigation Division of the National Police Agency. They will crack down on habitual and repeated illegal ticket sales and conduct focused investigations on violations. Regular on-site meetings to eradicate illegal ticket sales will also be held to explore joint public-private response measures.

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