Crowds form long lines waiting to enter a NewJeans concert at a festival at Chosun University in Gwangju on the afternoon of May 27, 2024 (photo unrelated to the article). News1
As popular K-pop idols take the stage at university festivals, student ID cards are effectively being traded as “admission tickets.” With universities tightening identity verification to block outsiders, illicit online transactions in which people rent student IDs to enter festival venues are proliferating.
“500,000 Won for Two-Day Entry”… Student ID Trading Emerges at University Festivals
Ahead of the third week of May, when university festivals begin in earnest, posts offering to lend student IDs and identification cards have been appearing one after another on X. Searches for “student ID rental” or “student ID transfer” easily turn up open chat room links alongside posts asking prospective buyers to “name a price first.”
Such transactions have spread as outsider access to university festivals has become more difficult. In the past, people from outside the school could enjoy festivals relatively freely, but as the influx of outsiders has grown and complaints from enrolled students have mounted, a considerable number of universities now verify student IDs against identification cards and admit only members of the school community.
However, the identity verification procedures meant to block outsiders have given rise to another type of transaction. Enrolled students are increasingly lending their student IDs for money, while outsiders purchase them to enter festival venues.
The prices are not trivial. Student ID rental prices range from around 50,000 won per day to as much as the 200,000 won range. The price varies significantly depending on which entertainers are appearing at the school’s festival. In some cases, prices in the 500,000 won range are offered for two-day entry.
Schools where particularly large numbers of student ID trading posts have appeared this year include Seoul National University, Hongik University, Ewha Womans University, and Sogang University. The popular idol group NCT Wish will perform at Seoul National University’s festival on the 14th. Sogang University’s Daedongje features RIIZE, tripleS, and Now Am Young, while Hongik University’s festival lineup includes Baek Yerin, CORTIS, and fromis_9.
“Jackets and App Logins Included”… Fan Enthusiasm Fuels Student ID Black Market
Students crowd the Ewha Womans University campus in Seodaemun, Seoul, during the Daedong Festival on May 10, 2023 (photo unrelated to the article). News1
The transaction methods are also becoming increasingly elaborate. Some transfer posts disclose the lender’s gender and student ID number, and even include offers to log in to school applications or Everytime accounts on a spare device. Conditions such as lending department jackets together or providing school-related information are also attached.
This is because festival organizing committees have been tightening verification procedures to filter out outsiders. Recently, some schools have not only compared student IDs with identification cards but also checked for school app logins or asked questions only enrolled students would know. They randomly ask about things like the location of a specific college building or the names of required general education courses.
As a result, even paying hundreds of thousands of won to rent a student ID does not guarantee admission. In fact, transfer posts often carry conditions such as “partial refund if entry fails” or “no refund even if entry fails.”
The reason student ID transactions continue despite this is that fans view university festivals as a relatively inexpensive opportunity to see famous idols. Concert tickets involve fierce reservation competition and high scalping prices, but at university festivals, simply getting in raises hopes of seeing the stage up close. Unlike concerts with assigned seating, those who line up early can watch the performance from the front, which is also driving demand.
“Lenders Can Also Be Punished”… From Illicit Entry to Legal Liability
The problem is that such transactions may not end simply as “illicit entry.” Both those who lend and those who borrow student IDs or identification cards could face criminal punishment.
Legal experts say that lending identification cards may constitute a violation of the Resident Registration Act, and that outsiders using student IDs to enter festivals by pretending to be enrolled students could constitute obstruction of business.
“Lending an identification card is a violation of the Resident Registration Act, and usually results in a fine,” said Kwak Jun-ho, managing attorney at the law firm Chung. “Lending a student ID also involves an outsider deceptively entering a school’s business activity (the festival) meant for enrolled students, so there is room for obstruction of business charges to be established.”
Student councils at each university have also signaled a hardline response to student ID and identification card transfers. Some schools have announced that if student ID rentals are caught, they could lead to on-campus disciplinary action as well as criminal punishment. On festival day, they plan to strengthen identity verification procedures through measures including checking student IDs against identification cards, verifying school app logins, and asking questions to confirm enrollment.
Student ID trading surrounding university festivals is growing as popular singer lineups converge with restrictions on outsider access. But with hundreds of thousands of won spent on renting student IDs not guaranteeing entry, and both borrowers and lenders potentially facing legal liability if caught, caution is needed.
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