Students line up to enter the concert venue for guest performers at the festival at Chosun University in the southwestern city of Gwangju, Tuesday. Yonhap

The season of university festivals, often referred to as the peak of college life in Korea, is in full swing. As universities across the country are abuzz with spring festivities, the intense competition to book popular singers for celebratory performances has drawn criticism.

At Kyung Hee University's festival on May 22, a star-studded lineup, including Day6, Silica Gel, aespa, Jannabi, RIIZE and Psy, performed, resembling the atmosphere of a major concert.

Sejong University's festival, starting on Wednesday, will feature NewJeans, Psy, Roy Kim and YB, while Sungkyunkwan University's festival will host aespa, ATEEZ, Day6 and BIBI.

The presence of such high-profile artists at university festivals is not limited to a few schools. Recently, most universities hosting festivals have filled their celebratory stages with popular K-pop idol groups and singers.

As a result, social media has been flooded with posts summarizing the festival lineups of various universities, with accompanying evaluations.

The lineup of performers at a festival has come to symbolize the competitiveness of the school itself, compelling student councils in charge of planning these events to intensify their booking efforts.

Girl group aespa, one of the most sought-after idol bands for university festivals / Yonhap

Student council judged according to lineup of idols

However, the reality of securing performers for festivals is far from rosy. The expectation of booking popular singers has led to exorbitant costs, with some universities spending more than half of their total festival budget on securing artists. This shift has forced university festivals into a "booking war" for popular singers.

In recent years, the fees for artists performing at festivals have surged, ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of won, further increasing the financial burden on universities.

Some universities have even had to cancel their festivals due to budget constraints. For instance, Kookmin University's emergency planning committee announced in March that the university's annual festival was canceled due to budget cuts and personnel shortages.

On the other hand, Pusan National University garnered attention by dramatically increasing its festival budget.

According to the university's disclosed budget allocation, the festival budget, which exceeded 150 million won ($110,000) last year, has doubled to 300 million won this year.

The university said that this budget increase would be dedicated to booking artists for concerts during the festival.

While these costly festivals have become the norm, reducing the focus on booking popular singers is challenging for student councils.

The success of the festival, one of the most visible events organized by the student council, directly impacts their performance evaluations.

This pressure forces many student councils to seek sponsorships and promotional partnerships with local businesses and companies to supplement their budgets.

Some voices within the academic community argue that while it is important to organize enjoyable festivals for students, it is also crucial to reconsider the essence of university festivals.

They suggest expanding content that students can actively participate in and enjoy rather than focusing solely on performances by popular singers.

Additionally, there are calls for a more balanced allocation of budgets, directing funds toward renovating outdated facilities or enhancing student welfare services, rather than spending excessively on festivals.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, sister publication of The Korea times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.