Students who regret cost of books due to soaring prices ... Student town has become "illegal copy paradise" = Korean coverage

"Since the illegal copy of a book is about 10% of the price of a new one, I had no choice but to buy (the illegally copied file)."

A, a student at Ewha Womans University, recently purchased an illegally copied file of her major for 4,000 won. The price of books used in university lectures is about 40,000 won per book. A said, "I bought the PDF file of the book on the online community because the price of the book became a burden because of the price hike."

In recent years, cases of illegally scanning major textbooks and selling them among students have become rampant. Students who purchase textbooks at full price create scan files and sell them through an online community. According to the "Copyright Protection Annual Report" released in May 2022 by the Korea Copyright Protection Agency, the percentage of people who used illegally reproduced publications in 2022 were all in their 20s (29.8%). It turned out to be the largest in the age group."

Rising prices around this time can also be cited as one of the reasons for the increase in illegal copying by university students. According to the results of a questionnaire survey of 2,076 university students published by the National College Student Network, 95.1% (1,975 people) responded to the question, "Do you feel the recent rise in prices?" Rising prices have increased the burden of living expenses, and more and more students are reducing their spending on textbooks. Lee, 21, a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said, "The books used in my lectures are so expensive that I buy illegal copies because my living expenses are rising these days."

Illegal copies are easily purchased online. When a reporter posted a sentence on a university's online community, saying, "I would like to purchase a PDF file of Principles of Economics, a large number of comments immediately followed. I contacted the person who made the first comment and tried to make a deal. After making a transaction and depositing 5,000 won, an illegally copied file was sent to me immediately. It took less than 10 minutes from the attempted purchase to the actual purchase."

The fact that many university students are more accustomed to electronic documents than paper books is another reason for the increase in illegal copying. Park (21), a student at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, said, "Paper books are heavy, and it's difficult to find the parts you want to know. You can quickly find what you want to know."

Illegal copies have become popular among students, and the publishing industry is having a hard time. On March 16th, the Korea Publishing Culture Association held an anti-piracy eradication campaign in front of the Seoul University Hall, stating, "Illegal copying, which is becoming more and more serious, is hampering the development of the academic and publishing world."

The publishing industry is urging tougher government crackdowns and awareness that piracy is a serious offense. Ryu Won-sik, managing director of the Korea Publishers and Culture Association, said, "The government should try to eradicate illegal copying through a concentrated crackdown on new semesters. One way to do this is to provide education on copyright at each university."