The government is cracking down on scalpers reselling professional baseball postseason tickets at a markup. Authorities are expanding their response from online monitoring to on-site enforcement at ballparks, aiming to shut down illegal resales during the fall playoff run when ticket demand peaks.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said on the 13th that it will conduct scalping crackdowns at all postseason ballparks and surrounding areas, working with the Korean National Police Agency, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), the league's 10 clubs and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. The postseason opens on the 14th.
It is the first time on-site scalping enforcement will cover every postseason game.
The ministry designated the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation as the reporting agency for sports ticket scalping in line with the revised National Sports Promotion Act that took effect on Aug. 28, and has operated a standing response system since then. Reports of illegal sports ticket sales totaled 90,000 through the 7th of this month. Of the roughly 47,000 cases remaining after duplicates were removed, about 40,000 suspected listings were blocked from public view. The ministry referred 121 people to police on the 6th of this month for investigation, citing clear signs of illegal trading such as high-priced or bulk sales.
Enforcement will concentrate on the hours before games when spectators arrive in large numbers. Officials will focus on areas where transactions are frequent, including ticket booths, main entrances and nearby gathering points, watching for people soliciting buyers or offering large quantities of tickets. Enforcement times, zones and staffing will be adjusted flexibly according to each ballpark's game schedule and crowd flow.
The agencies have also set up a coordination framework. The ministry, the police agency and local police stations, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation and the KBO have established a dedicated communication channel to share information on suspicious transactions and reports in real time. When suspected cases such as bulk sales are spotted on site, they will be handed over to police immediately, with support for gathering the evidence needed to establish the circumstances of the transaction.
Alongside the crackdown, booths promoting the elimination of scalping will be set up outside ballparks on major game days.
The campaign will also run on ballpark scoreboards and through social media accounts of the KBO and its clubs. Suspected scalping can be reported through the integrated reporting website for sports and performance ticket scalping, and rewards will be paid according to the requirements and procedures set out in relevant law.
"The chance to watch fall baseball, which fans have been waiting for, must not be turned into unfair profits for scalpers," Culture Minister Choi Hwi-young said. "We will work closely with the police, the KBO, the clubs and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation to respond firmly to scalping, from online platforms to the ballparks themselves."