The Korean Venture Entrepreneurship Society announced on the 20th that it held a summer convergence academic conference with the Korean Management Association at the Ulsan Exhibition and Convention Center on the 19th.
The conference was held under two themes: "The transformation of cultural distribution and the future of the innovation ecosystem" and "The strategic transformation of K re-commerce (secondhand trading)."
The first conference, "The transformation of cultural distribution and the future of the innovation ecosystem," focused on the secondary ticket platform industry. The secondary ticket industry has received attention as the performance and arts market revives due to the recent popularity of K-content. However, domestically, it faces growth limitations due to regulations that do not align with the perception and reality of the "black market".
Professor Kim Joo-hee from Dongduk Women's University, who presented a topic, emphasized that the "ticketing industry," which distributes and transacts viewing rights for performances and sports, functions as a key distribution channel and is a channel that facilitates the consolidation of content and consumers. Professor Kim pointed out that specialized platforms for secondary ticket transactions, like Viagogo, StubHub, and Ticketmaster, thrive abroad, including in the United States, but that the ecosystem in Korea has not developed due to biases in societal perception and institutional recognition of secondary ticket trade.
Professor Kim stated that to solve these issues, it is essential to understand the complex interests clashing among market participants, such as the "commercial logic of resellers," the "consumer rights logic," and the "public interest logic of the government," and to enhance market transparency by utilizing the technical expertise of platforms. She also suggested introducing "collaborative governance" involving the government, platforms, event organizers, consumer groups, and experts to build trust.
Professor Lee Woo-jin from Kookmin University also noted that there is insufficient social understanding of the positive aspects of secondary ticket transaction platforms, such as increased consumer benefits from expanded market accessibility and dynamic pricing, and that proactive problem-solving through public-private cooperation is necessary.
Professor Choi Byeong-cheol from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies emphasized the use of advanced technologies, including AI, in the secondary ticket industry. Professor Choi mentioned that through mechanisms like the "escrow payment system" where third parties (platforms) temporarily hold funds and transfer them to sellers once transactions are properly completed, along with "multifactor authentication technologies" involving identity verification, facial recognition, and mobile phone authentication, transparency in secondary ticket transactions can be enhanced and the market activated.
During the second conference, Professor Choi Hwa-jun from Ajou University introduced active overseas expansion cases of major global re-commerce platforms, including Vinted, Mercari, and Carousell, emphasizing that cross-border transactions are already occurring actively. Professor Kim Min-seo from Seoul Women's University explained that the re-commerce industry is playing a new niche market role amidst changes in the existing distribution structure, combining sustainability with digital innovation to develop.
Vice President Yoo Jeong-hwa of the Global Re-commerce Industry Association shared the latest trends and success stories in re-commerce centered around fandom economy and content-based marketing, presenting new business models and consumer engagement strategies. Vice President Yoo noted that although K secondhand goods have gained popularity enough to be operated as a separate category on overseas platforms, institutional and administrative support remains insufficient.