SEOUL – University festivals in South Korea are under fire for ticket scalping carried out by the universities’ students, who sell marked-upEvery May and June, universities across the country host a campus festival that lasts from two to four days for students and alumni, featuring events such as sports games, club performances and K-pop performances.
South Korean girl groups NewJeans, Illit and Nmixx were among the line-up for Ipselenti, Korea University’s festival organised by the student cheerleading squad, which ran from May 21 to 23. But a number of students who successfully drew lots to buy such concert tickets resold them online for several times the original price, sometimes for hundreds of thousands of won, thus drawing complaints.
Mr Kim Kyung-ho, a former Korea University student, also expressed concern that his school’s festival was focusing more on K-pop concerts rather than club events involving students. “There is nothing much we can do. The school is not linked to the management of K-pop concerts at Akaraka,” a member of Yonsei University’s public relations team said on May 28.