Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) is intensifying its monitoring of illegal ticket resale ahead of the Chuseok holiday booking period, the company announced on August 25. Its measures combine automated bot detection with mystery shoppers and a passenger reporting channel designed to identify sellers operating through online secondhand marketplaces.
Under the mystery shopper program, KORAIL employees pose as prospective buyers on platforms including Danggeun Market and Bungaejangter. By communicating directly with suspected sellers, they can verify proposed transactions and collect information needed to identify those offering tickets at a premium.
KORAIL first introduced the program during the 2026 Lunar New Year booking season. Together with passenger reports, the initiative identified 26 suspected cases that were referred to the relevant authorities. One case involving payment for an allegedly nonexistent ticket led to a separate fraud complaint.
Passengers can report suspected transactions through KORAIL’s website and the KORAIL+ mobile app. Those whose reports lead to confirmed scalping cases will receive rail fare discount coupons.
Sellers confirmed to have offered tickets above their original price will immediately lose their KORAIL membership under membership rules revised in June. Suspected cases will also be referred to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the police for further investigation.
KORAIL is simultaneously using technology to prevent automated programs from acquiring tickets in bulk. Its detection system analyzes access patterns and purchasing behavior to block abnormal activity. Since its introduction in July 2025, the system has stopped approximately 17 million suspicious access attempts.
The figure represents repeated access and purchase attempts generated by abnormal activity rather than the number of scalped tickets or individual sellers. It nevertheless illustrates the scale at which automated programs can target limited ticket inventories during peak travel periods.
The combined measures create a multistage response. Bot detection protects the reservation system at the purchasing stage, mystery shoppers and passenger reports identify suspected sellers in the resale market, and membership termination and referrals provide a route to further action. This structure connects technological prevention with transaction-level evidence.
South Korea’s Railroad Business Act prohibits unauthorized parties from repeatedly or commercially reselling railway tickets above their original purchase price. Administrative action requires evidence linking an identified seller to the relevant transactions. Direct communication through the mystery shopper program can help preserve information about the seller, proposed price and transaction history.
Chuseok reservations begin September 3
Reservations for Chuseok tickets will begin on September 3 through the KORAIL+ mobile app and KORAIL’s dedicated holiday booking website. The process will be conducted online and will be available only to integrated KORAIL members.
Existing KORAIL members will be converted automatically. Passengers registered only with SR, the operator of the SRT high-speed rail service, must complete a separate registration or membership conversion through KORAIL+ or the designated website before booking.
KORAIL has also offered a preview service since August 24 to help passengers prepare for the reservation period. Users can check booking dates by route, review the reservation process and register preferred journey information in advance.
The integrated membership system and advance registration process are expected to reduce booking-day confusion while providing a clearer distinction between ordinary passenger activity and abnormal automated access. Together with the strengthened resale monitoring program, they form part of KORAIL’s effort to maintain fair access to limited holiday ticket inventories.
“Ticket scalping is an illegal practice that deprives passengers of a fair opportunity to purchase tickets,” said Lee Min-sung, head of KORAIL’s Passenger Business Division. “We will establish a fair ticket distribution system through thorough monitoring and strong legal action.”
