Seoul Vending Machines Fail to Detect Fake IDs, Sparking Teen Vape Crisis
The Seoul Metropolitan Government has called for urgent upgrades to electronic cigarette vending machines after a two-month intensive sweep revealed severe flaws in their age-verification systems. Between April 24 and June 23, inspectors discovered that 168 out of 415 vending machines successfully authenticated forged or altered identification documents.
The vulnerability was exposed using highly obvious fakes, including a resident registration card featuring the cartoon character “Dooly,” alongside fictional adult profiles. Despite being easily identifiable as counterfeits to the human eye, the automated systems failed to flag them, allowing seamless purchases.
This technological loophole coincides with a sharp rise in vaping. In Seoul, adult male liquid e-cigarette usage nearly doubled from 3.4% in 2022 to 6.5% in 2025. More alarmingly, teen liquid vaping hit 2.4% in 2025, eclipsing the traditional youth smoking rate of 2.2% for the first time.
Compounding the issue, the city found widespread non-compliance with the Youth Protection Act. Only 58.6% of inspected outlets properly displayed standardized warning signs prohibiting sales to minors, and many existing signs failed to meet legal size and design specifications.
In response, Seoul officials have petitioned relevant national institutions to revise the enforcement rules of the National Health Promotion Act. The city is demanding mandatory system upgrades for vending machine operators to block minors from exploiting these security gaps.
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