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As KBO opening week sells out, fans complain clubs have sold out with tier memberships

Published: 24 Mar. 2025, 13:24

Fans watch a game between the LG Twins and Lotte Giants at Jamsil Baseball Stadium in southern Seoul on March 22. [YONHAP]

The 2025 KBO season kicked off on March 22, with fans scrambling to secure tickets amid growing demand and new tiered membership systems.

All tickets for the season’s first two-game series, held across five stadiums nationwide, sold out, the KBO said on March 23. The 10 games held over the weekend brought in a record 219,900 spectators, surpassing the 214,324 fans recorded during the same period in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Most tickets for games scheduled between March 24 and 30 have already sold out as well, many of which sold before official sales even began.

Starting in the 2010s, KBO clubs began offering VIP memberships that allowed fans to book tickets before regular sales opened. Today, all 10 teams offer paid membership programs with priority booking privileges, and many have introduced even more exclusive tiers.

Five teams, including the Kia Tigers, now offer second-tier early booking memberships. The Samsung Lions and KT Wiz have gone further, introducing third-tier memberships that allow even earlier access. Membership fees determine the priority order in which fans can purchase tickets.

The LG Twins, for example, increased the price of their early booking membership from 20,000 won to 100,000 won this year — a fivefold hike.

Police patrol for ticket scalpers at Daegu Samsung Lions Park in Daegu in October 2024. [YONHAP]

In some cases, the number of membership holders exceeds the number of seats available, sparking complaints from regular fans.

“I understand that teams need to sell these memberships to address financial losses,” said Choi Beom-gyu, a 27-year-old Hanwha Eagles fan. “But it’s gotten to the point where regular fans don’t even have a chance to get good seats.”

Even some fans with paid memberships have struggled to secure tickets. “I have a membership that lets me book early, but by the time I tried to get tickets for the opening game, they were already gone,” one fan told the JoongAng Ilbo.

Online fan communities have been flooded with complaints. Comments like “You need money to watch baseball now” and “It feels like ticket prices are effectively 40,000 to 50,000 won” are not hard to find.

Some teams have been forced to reconsider their policies. On Feb. 22, the SSG Landers introduced a policy giving top-tier members an additional one-hour head start on ticket sales. The next day, the policy was scrapped following backlash.

“This policy was designed to provide additional benefits for membership holders, but we revised it after listening to fan feedback,” said an SSG Landers spokesperson.

Teams argue the tiered membership systems are aimed at improving loyalty and ticketing efficiency. The Samsung Lions said they adjusted membership numbers to ensure more opportunities for general ticket buyers. The Kia Tigers limited purchases to two tickets per person to minimize inconvenience.

Despite these efforts, ticket scarcity has fueled a surge in scalping. Tickets for the opening games at Incheon’s Munhak Baseball Stadium were listed on resale platforms for up to 10 times the original price.

A first-floor table seat, normally 58,000 won, was resold for 140,000 won. Fourth-floor seats with a face value of 13,000 won sold for 80,000 won. Some listings even advertised “10 adjacent seats” despite ticket limits.

Teams have tried to crack down on scalping by revoking memberships, but experts say this is not enough.

“If there are no restrictions on early booking, illegal reselling will only get worse,” said Choi Chul, a consumer studies professor at Sookmyung Women’s University. “Teams need to recognize the fairness problem and come up with comprehensive solutions.”

Translated using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.

BY KIM SEO-WON [[email protected]]