원본보기 아이콘

As the university festival season approaches, the practice of "renting student IDs" is spreading. With an increasing number of idol fans disguising themselves as university students to attend festival performances, controversy is expected to intensify.

Example of a post offering university student ID rental. Screenshot from social networking service (SNS).

원본보기 아이콘

Recently, numerous posts have been spotted on social networking services (SNS) in which individuals disclose their gender, student number, and other details, offering to lend or obtain student IDs. There are even posts listing the groups invited to university festivals.

The price for transferring a student ID ranged from tens of thousands of won to as much as 500,000 won. The cost varied based on the popularity of the invited singer or idol group. One user, who identified themselves as a student at a university in Seoul, said, "I will lend my student ID for three days, so please make an offer," adding, "The ID is under a female name, and after payment, refunds are not possible under any circumstances, including failed entry."

원본보기 아이콘

As the practice of renting student IDs to outsiders wishing to attend popular idol performances at university festivals becomes common, festival organizing committees at various universities are ramping up their response. Some schools now check students' status through university application (app) logins. In some cases, only students who can answer questions about the location of certain department buildings or the names of required general education courses are allowed entry to the festival site. These measures are intended to make it difficult to get through festival security with just a fake or borrowed student ID.

However, those transferring student IDs are now offering to provide school-related information to facilitate smooth entry, raising questions about the effectiveness of these countermeasures.

Some posts even state that "department jackets (Majum) are available for rent" or that "additional help such as logging into Everytime (a university student community) is possible," with these added conditions leading to even higher prices for the student IDs.

원본보기 아이콘

University festival performances attract a lot of interest from outside fans because they are relatively cheaper than regular idol concerts. Unlike concerts, ticket competition is less fierce, so entry is relatively easy as long as you have student status. When popular idol groups perform at university festivals, not only current students but also outside fans are highly interested. This has led to a demand for student ID rentals and cases where people use this as a means to make money.

The problem is that transferring a student ID to someone you don't know may not simply end as a transaction. Trading resident registration cards or other official IDs constitutes a criminal offense under the Resident Registration Act. Student IDs contain personal information such as names, student numbers, and affiliated schools, which increases the risk of personal information leaks. If outsiders borrow student IDs and enter the festival pretending to be students, it could also be considered interference with the university's entry management or event operations.