Korea refers 31 suspected baseball ticket scalpers to police amid playoff rush

South Korea's culture ministry said Tuesday that 31 people suspected of reselling professional baseball postseason tickets in large volumes at steep prices have been referred to police for investigation, with the suspected illegal sales estimated at about 728 million won ($546,506).

The referrals by the National Sports Promotion Foundation cover 1,015 tickets sold or offered between Oct. 13 and Oct. 19. The suspects were selected because the total value of listings posted under their names during that week exceeded 10 million won ($7,507) each.

One seller alone offered as many as 116 tickets, with asking prices totaling 116 million won ($87,081).

The ministry said it moved quickly because ticket trading concentrates during the postseason, and that close coordination with the National Police Agency shortened the time between analyzing a report and handing a case to investigators. The foundation plans to refer more suspected sellers before the postseason ends.

The referrals are the latest step in a campaign that has combined online monitoring, venue enforcement and criminal complaints. The ministry has doubled to twice a day the frequency with which it asks secondhand trading platforms to restrict suspected scalping listings, and it has been running on-site checks around stadiums with police, the Korea Baseball Organization and the clubs.

"We will not stop at blocking posts," Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choe Hwi-young said. "We will select suspected high-volume, high-price sellers and quickly request investigations during the postseason, and actively cooperate with the police to curb further illegal sales."

If the investigations confirm illegal sales, the ministry said it will impose penalties including fines under the relevant laws. The enforcement push began with stadium checks at the start of the postseason on Oct. 13, the same day the police announced tougher criminal punishment for scalpers outside ballparks.