Music industry seeks solution to ticket scalping through public discussion

Blackpink performs in Tokyo, April 9. (YG Entertainment)

The Record Label Industry Association of Korea’s petition to revise the ticket scalping law submitted to the government on Nov. 19 has turned into a public petition, according to the association on Tuesday.

The move requires the government to gather public opinion for 30 days to deal with the petition and announce the result within 90 days.

In the petition, Record Label Industry Association of Korea Chairman Yoon Dong-hwan, argues that “ticket scalping is cancerous to society,” and that “just like the Railway Business Act, a law must be made to stop people from selling concert tickets to others for an amount exceeding the original purchase price.”

Ticket scalping has always existed, but the phenomenon has grown both in scale and the numbers involved.

“As ticket scalping is on the rise, fraud is increasing. Such illegal acts that destroy the industry structure by exploiting fan sentiment should be punished as a felony, but in Korea, it cannot be punished even as a minor offense,” Yoon said.

The South Korean law on minor offenses prohibits ticket reselling at a premium at public entertainment venues, stadiums and transportation stations. That means ticket scalping that happens in cyberspace is not subject to punishment.

“With the advent of macro programs, ticket scalpers are becoming more systemized,” Yoon said.

Macro programs can be used to automatically complete the repetitive online ticketing process that would normally require several steps, effectively preventing ordinary consumers from purchasing tickets.

“The revision of the performance law would make purchases made using macro programs illegal starting March next year. In reality, however, it is impossible to detect individual purchases made using macro programs. We ask the government to revise the ticket scalping law legislated about 50 years ago,” urged Yoon.

By Hong Yoo(yoohong@heraldcorp.com)