Nearly 130,000 Scalped Concert Ticket Transactions This Year... Discussions on the Effectiveness of the Revised Public Performance Act

On September 17, the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association held a forum at the CKL Business Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, on the theme of "The Changed Public Performance Act: Major Changes and Future Tasks." This event was organized to examine the changes in the revised Public Performance Act and its enforcement decree, which took effect on August 28, and to seek ways to resolve the scalping issues occurring in the field. Music critic Park Hee-a moderated the event, which was attended by police and ticketing agency officials to share opinions.

Lee Yeon-uk, Secretary General of the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association, announced that the number of scalped ticket transactions caught from January to August this year reached 129,528 cases. Compared to 16,451 cases from May to November 2024 and 120,312 cases from May to December 2025, scalped ticket transactions are showing a continuous upward trend. By singer, the number of scalped ticket transactions was highest for BTS with 8,912 cases, followed by NCT DREAM, DAY6, NCT WISH, and Lim Young-woong. Additionally, in the case of RIIZE, the average premium per ticket was formed at the highest level of 473,658 won.

Hwang Seung-heum, Dean of the College of Law at Universidad Kookmin, explained that the revised Public Performance Act has shifted from being punishment-centered in the past toward protecting the right to enjoy performances. While previously only unfair sales using macros were prohibited, the amendment defines the overall act of habitually and commercially selling admission tickets with a premium as a target for punishment, regardless of whether macros were used. Furthermore, the introduction of a reporting reward system and the strengthening of surcharges as punishment are major features.

Yang Won-seok, an inspector at the National Office of Investigation, Korean National Police Agency, who participated in the discussion, stated that while the expansion of the scope of punishment is expected to have a crime deterrence effect, they are advancing investigation techniques to respond to sophisticated methods such as the unauthorized use of others' accounts. Woo Myeong-gyun, head of NOL Universe, mentioned that measures to prevent unfair purchases are being implemented at the level of ticketing agencies and expressed the position that technical support and information sharing should proceed smoothly to cooperate with investigative agencies.

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