Elementary Student Uses Mother's Account to Donate 130 Million Won to BJ
"I'm a Military Veteran" Pretends to Be an Adult to Donate
About 3,600 Minor Refund Cases on Mobile Apps in the Last 4 Years
Exposed to Competitive 'Donation Culture'... Difficult to Verify User Identity
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Concerns over financial damage are growing after the case of an 11-year-old minor, Ms. A, who transferred a large sum of money to BJs through an internet broadcasting platform, came to light. Ms. A's father was able to contact about 30 BJs who received money from Ms. A one by one and get refunds, but there are concerns that refunds cannot be guaranteed if similar cases recur.
The incident occurred last August when Ms. A, an elementary school student, sponsored about 130 million KRW to BJs on the one-person broadcasting platform 'Hakuna Live' over ten days. At that time, Ms. A created an account on the platform using her mother's mobile phone, and it was confirmed that the transferred amount was withdrawn from her mother's bank account linked to the phone.
The amount Ms. A sponsored to the BJs was reportedly the deposit her family had saved for moving into a jeonse (long-term lease) house. Ms. A's father had to meet all 30 BJs to whom Ms. A sent sponsorship money, pleading for refunds due to financial hardship. Thanks to his efforts, all but one BJ promised to refund the money.
The case was publicized through media reports. Subsequently, the Korea Communications Commission directly persuaded 'Hakuna Live' to first refund Ms. A's father and agreed to continue discussions with the BJ who refused the refund, bringing the case to a close for the time being.
Although Ms. A's case was resolved, incidents where minors transfer large sums to BJs without parental consent and suffer financial damage continue to occur. There is growing concern because in such cases, refunds are unlikely unless the BJs voluntarily return the money.
A handwritten apology letter written by a middle school student whose identity was exposed after making a large donation on the internet broadcasting site 'Twitch' last May. / Photo by Internet Broadcast Capture
Earlier, in May last year, a similar controversy arose when a 14-year-old middle school student transferred about 30 million KRW to a streamer on the game streaming site 'Twitch'.
The middle school student claimed to be an adult, saying things like "I have completed military service" and "I just got off work," and sponsored a large amount. However, after his identity was exposed, he sent handwritten apology letters to the streamers and was able to get a refund.
According to data released last year by the Content Dispute Mediation Committee, there have been about 3,600 refund cases involving minors through smartphone applications over the past four years.
Various internet broadcasting platforms such as Twitch and Hakuna Live have a sponsorship culture called 'dona' (donation). Dona is a neologism referring to the act of financially supporting streamers or BJs, where viewers donate as a sign of appreciation when broadcasters provide innovative content.
Some broadcasters encourage viewers to donate or perform specific commands in exchange for donations, showing provocative behavior. This raises concerns that minors may fall into the 'dona temptation' using their parents' money.
Due to the nature of internet broadcasting platforms, which involve non-face-to-face contact, it is difficult to verify the age of viewers who make donations. If minors use their parents' personal information to sign up for the service, it is hard to verify their actual identity one by one.
Given this situation, the government is moving to revise laws to prevent indiscriminate sponsorships of broadcasters by minors.
On the 17th of last month, the Korea Communications Commission announced plans to amend the 'Telecommunications Business Act.' The key points of the amendment include imposing obligations on platform operators such as setting payment limits for platform users, strengthening protection for minors, establishing user protection channels, and preventing illegal transactions.
Currently, internet broadcasting platforms voluntarily regulate daily payment limits through the 'Guidelines on Payment for Paid Support Items in Internet Personal Broadcasting.' However, the amended law will require operators to set payment limits for paid items and impose obligations to prevent various abnormal transactions that circumvent the set payment limits.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
