*This content was translated by AI.
A meeting of relevant institutional investors was held in preparation for the enforcement of the KBO League scalping law.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (hereinafter "Ministry") announced that it held a 'Meeting of Relevant Institutional Investors to Prepare for Enforcement of the Professional Baseball Scalping Law' on the 23rd at the National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art Seoul, with representatives from the National Police Agency, the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), all 10 professional baseball teams, ticket booking platforms, the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, and the Korea Professional Sports Association.
It further explained that this meeting was convened to review the preparation status at professional baseball venues ahead of the enforcement of the revised "National Sports Promotion Act" on August 28, and to examine a joint response system covering reporting and monitoring of illicit purchases and sales, verification of suspicion information, investigations, and sanctions.
The Ministry explained the key contents of the revised laws and the operational plan for the reporting institutional investors' system, while reviewing the preparation status and response plans of the KBO, teams, and booking platforms, as well as cooperation requirements for each institutional investor.
Attending institutional investors agreed to establish an organic joint response system covering all stages from prevention—including reporting and monitoring of illicit purchases and sales—to post-action measures such as investigations and sanctions, going beyond simple post-factum punishment for scalping transactions.
The KBO and teams will revise ticket sales terms and membership policies, and implement effective sanctions such as booking restrictions and suspension or revocation of membership status for season tickets and paid members confirmed to be involved in illicit transactions.
Additionally, team websites and mobile applications will establish reporting channels, and the league plans to intensively inform the public about the key contents of the revised law and the risks of purchasing scalped tickets through stadium scoreboards, social networking services (SNS), and during major games and the postseason.
The KBO and teams plan to expand on-site inspections of major games and scalping prevention activities in cooperation with the National Police Agency and booking platforms, and will jointly respond to habitual and organized scalping transactions.
Booking platforms will enhance systems to detect abnormal transactions such as excessive bulk purchases and repeated logins or cancellations. They intend to require explanations from users suspected of illicit purchases and implement measures including booking cancellation and account usage restrictions if the explanation is insufficient.
Internal procedures will also be revised to ensure that transaction and login information can be promptly provided upon request from reporting institutional investors and law enforcement authorities.
The National Police Agency is establishing interpretation guidelines for the revised law, investigation procedures, and a cooperation framework with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and reporting institutional investors. Based on this, it plans to launch investigations immediately upon confirmation of suspicions and respond strictly to illicit purchases and sales from the early stages of the law's enforcement.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will conduct final inspections and improvements regarding cooperation frameworks for each institutional investor, reporting and data submission procedures, preparation status of associations and organizations, and the operational system for reporting institutional investors before the law takes effect.
Furthermore, in collaboration with professional baseball associations and organizations, it plans to intensively promote awareness at fan touchpoints such as stadiums, booking websites and applications, and team social networking services, while firmly establishing the principle that scalping transactions will inevitably result in sanctions and disadvantages.
Lee Sun-young, Director of the Sports Bureau at the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated, "Scalping deprives fans of their legitimate booking opportunities and undermines the fairness of the professional sports market. Relevant institutional investors will respond seamlessly from blocking illicit purchases to reporting, investigation, and sanctions with a unified effort." She added, "The Ministry plans not only to enforce the law but also to continuously monitor and respond strongly until tangible results are achieved on the ground, creating a fair professional sports viewing environment."
Park Geun-chan, Secretary-General of the Korea Baseball Organization (KBO), emphasized, "The KBO and its 10 teams recognize scalping eradication as their top priority to protect fans' rights and preserve league credibility. We will strengthen blocking of illicit transactions at booking and entry stages and sanctions against violating members, and cooperate closely with relevant institutional investors including the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, National Police Agency, and booking platforms to respond resolutely to scalping transactions in accordance with established principles."
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*This content was translated by AI.
