31 suspected scalpers referred to police over pro baseball postseason tickets

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said Tuesday that the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation had referred 31 people suspected of selling large volumes of pro baseball postseason tickets at inflated prices to police for investigation.

The foundation analyzed reports of illegal postseason ticket sales received from Oct. 13 to Monday and identified 31 suspects whose combined listed asking prices totaled at least 10 million won ($7,510) each. The total value of sales prices posted by the group is estimated at around 730 million won.

The referrals were made in light of the concentrated, short-term nature of postseason ticket transactions. The ministry also doubled the frequency of measures to restrict suspicious resale listings on secondhand trading platforms — from once to twice daily — alongside the foundation's online reporting and monitoring operations. Authorities are conducting on-site enforcement around stadiums in cooperation with police, the Korea Baseball Organization and individual clubs.

The foundation plans to refer additional suspects to police before the postseason ends and will continue supplying investigators with relevant materials. The ministry said it would impose fines and take other measures under applicable laws if violations are confirmed.

Culture Minister Choi Hwi-yeong said the government would "swiftly refer high-volume, high-price suspects to police and actively cooperate with investigators to deter further illegal sales," adding that "any confirmed violations will be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law."