'Reignited Issue of Large Minor Donations to "Refund Refusal BJ"... Is This Okay?'

App-related Minor Refund Cases Received: 3,600 in the Past 4 Years
Debate Over Refund Denials: "Raise Awareness" vs. "Consider Anxious Parents"
Experts Say "Repeated Education Needed on Severity of Issue"

BJ Lallal, who became controversial for refusing a middle school viewer's request to refund "Star Balloons." Photo by BJ Lallal, YouTube capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Soyoung] Incidents continue to occur where minors use their parents' mobile phones and card payments to make large donations to individual broadcasters, only to end up in refund disputes.

On the 3rd, famous BJ Lallal (real name Lee Yura) sparked controversy by revealing, "A teenage youth donated several million won, and his family requested a refund, but I refused."

As the controversy escalated, Lallal stated, "I decided to use this incident as an opportunity to teach the value of money so that it would not happen again. I thought that issuing a refund in this case would set a bad precedent and could be exploited," and announced that the donation was given to charity. However, netizens' debates continue.

Opinions clashed between those who see this as a cautionary case due to previous problems with large donations from minors and those who argue that the refund request letters from the minor's side were disclosed and used for broadcasting purposes.

One netizen commented, "Isn't this BJ's fault? As Lallal said, there was a prior warning not to donate if you are a middle school student," adding, "If refunds are given, people will treat the BJ profession as a joke and exploit it. Children should also take responsibility."

On the other hand, another netizen criticized, "Why donate with someone else's money and then refuse to refund while showing off? Advice should come with returning the money. It's a huge amount. Please consider the parents who are worried about their child."

In November last year, an elementary school student transferred 130 million won of a rental deposit saved by their parents to a BJ on the live streaming app 'Hakuna Live.' It was reported that the money was sent to a bank account linked to the phone of the student's disabled mother.

Most BJs agreed to refunds, but one BJ who received 40 million won from the elementary student at the time refused the refund due to lack of grounds, causing difficulties. Eventually, the Korea Communications Commission intervened and sent an official letter requesting the company to issue a refund, after which the company proceeded with the refund.

Large Donations from Minors to Individual Streamers. Photo is Unrelated to Specific Expressions in the Article.

According to the Content Dispute Mediation Committee under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there have been about 3,600 cases related to refund requests by minors on apps over the past four years.

In China, in May 2019, a fifth-grade elementary student named Yangyang caused a major social stir by donating large sums to internet individual broadcasters. In response, the Chinese government completely banned minors from donating to individual broadcasters and strengthened donation regulations for adults by requiring real-name verification, facial recognition, and screening.

The Korea Communications Commission established the 'Guidelines on Paid Donation Items for Internet Personal Broadcasting' in 2019, recommending self-regulation by operators.

However, as the problem persisted without resolution, the Korea Communications Commission announced in March that it would take measures. First, it plans to amend the Telecommunications Business Act to effectively prevent user damages on internet personal broadcasting platforms.

Accordingly, to strengthen the protection of internet personal broadcasting platform users' rights, the Commission will promote system improvements that impose obligations on platforms such as ▲setting payment limits ▲enhancing minor protection ▲operating user protection channels ▲preventing illegal transactions.

Chairman Han Sanghyuk of the Korea Communications Commission said, "With the acceleration of the non-face-to-face society due to COVID-19 and the increased use of one-person media such as internet personal broadcasting platforms, the need to strengthen platform responsibility and prevent user damage has grown. We will create a healthy one-person media environment through continuous system improvements."

Experts emphasized the need for related education. Professor Sung Dongkyu of the Department of Media Communication at Chung-Ang University suggested in an interview with 'MBN News' that "the authentication system must obtain parental consent and limit the amount to minimize damage, and the seriousness of these issues should be repeatedly taught at schools and homes."