Korea enacts tough new rules to crack down on ticket scalping

In a major step to safeguard fair access to live entertainment and athletic events, Korea has enacted strict new enforcement rules designed to eradicate ticket scalping across the country.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Friday that the updated regulations officially took effect on Friday, following final Cabinet approval on Aug. 18.

The milestone measures flesh out landmark revisions to the Performance Act and the National Sports Promotion Act passed by the National Assembly in February.

Under the overhauled legal framework, all fraudulent ticket buying and unauthorized reselling are explicitly outlawed.

Crucially, the ban applies universally — eliminating a long-standing legal loophole by penalizing scalpers regardless of whether they use automated "macro" software to hijack digital queues and buy up inventory faster than ordinary human users.

Under the new rules, primary ticketing sellers and secondhand resale platforms must implement robust compliance protocols.

They are now legally required to verify user identities, maintain active reporting features, restrict