In the afternoon of the 2nd, a fake resident registration card featuring the cartoon character “Ddol” was inserted into an e-cigarette vending machine located at a subway station in Jung-gu, Seoul. After pressing the adult verification button, the machine immediately announced, “Adult verification has been completed.” Following the payment, the machine dispensed a liquid-type e-cigarette. The phrase “Identity theft remains a lifelong criminal record” printed on the machine seemed meaningless in this situation. This fake ID was created by Seoul City to test the adult verification systems of e-cigarette vending machines. It was a plastic plate with the same dimensions as a resident registration card, featuring Ddol’s image. The name listed was “Ddol,” the date of birth was “April 22, 1983,” and the address was “Ddol’s Street, Wonmi-gu, Bucheon City.” Despite being clearly a fake ID, it passed the adult verification of the vending machine.
From April to June, Seoul City tested five types of fake IDs, including the “Ddol ID,” on 415 e-cigarette vending machines across the city. Out of these, 168 machines (40.5%) failed to detect the fake IDs. Among the 168 machines, 122 incorrectly recognized all five fake IDs as genuine.
E-cigarette vending machines are required by the National Health Promotion Act to have adult verification systems, but there are no regulations specifying the level of verification. Choi Kyung-jin, president of the Korean Information Law Society, stated, “Many companies use low-level verification systems to cut costs.” Machines with low verification levels can only check if the birthdate numbers indicate adulthood. Some devices only confirm whether the size of the ID and the placement of letters and numbers are correct. An industry source said, “Vending machines that can accurately verify the authenticity of IDs through the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s computer network cost about 2 million Korean won more.” “Even if caught, unmanned stores can avoid responsibility by claiming, ‘We didn’t know the minor was underage,’ so they are reluctant to invest.”
The problem is that such lax systems are also installed in unmanned motels and unmanned liquor stores. On the same day, Seoul City visited an unmanned motel in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, with the five fake IDs. The motel prohibits minors from entering. When the “Ddol ID” was inserted into the kiosk, it displayed, “The guest’s adult verification was successful.” All five fake IDs passed the motel’s adult verification.
These fake IDs are easily available on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter). Posts such as “We create real ID cards for 100,000 Korean won” and “We make real ID cards with your desired name, address, and photo” can be found. Some businesses operate under names like “ID Sales Store” or “ID Manufacturing Company.” They create fake IDs by printing letters, numbers, and photos on vinyl attached to plastic plates the same size as resident registration cards. Students also print resident registration card templates on point cards, which can be easily found through internet search engines.
A high school student, Choi Mo, 17 years old, said, “These days, there’s no need to argue with convenience store clerks over cigarettes,” adding, “I buy fake IDs and enjoy e-cigarettes.” Adolescents also share information about vending machines that fail to detect fake IDs.
According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s “Youth Health Behavior Survey,” the e-cigarette usage rate among adolescents (2.4%) surpassed the cigarette smoking rate (2.2%) for the first time last year.
Jo Young-chang, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s Citizen Health Bureau, said, “We have requested the Ministry of Health and Welfare to improve the system to impose fines on business owners who fail to properly implement adult verification systems.”
No comments:
Post a Comment