Daily Pulse

Asia News: Hybe Rolls Out Facial Recognition; Coldplay In India; HK Stadium Debut

USFHK Rugby Sevens Finals
A CROWN JEWEL FOR THE PEARL: Kai Tak Stadium, shown here, made its concert and sporting debuts in the first weeks of 2025. The start of the benefit concert was delayed due to “malfunctions” in the building. (Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

KOREA

Hybe Plans Facial Recognition Rollout

Powerful Korean entertainment company Hybe plans to introduce its new Face Pass facial recognition technology to identify event ticket holders at a fan meeting of the K-pop group TWS on Feb. 14, but may hit a wall if it’s up to a certain lawmaker. According to the Korea Herald, Rep. Lee Soo-jin of the Democratic Party of Korea has proposed an amendment to the Personal Protection Act to limit use of the system, “citing concerns about excessive demands for sensitive personal information.”

Ever since Hybe announced implementation of Face Pass last year, industry experts have discussed some of the technology’s risks and “urg(ed) a thorough review” before putting it to use, since it could lead to the misuse of personal data. Hybe had developed the technology with the help of two other companies in order to allow fans to “bypass traditional ID checks and ticket confirmation,” since all ticketholders had to do was register their facial profiles when they purchased tickets, and then have their faces screened to enter the venue.

Face Pass will be an option at the TWS fan meeting, meaning attendees who choose not to register their facial data can enter using standard ID verification and ticket confirmation procedures. At the moment, Hybe has not decided if it wants to make Face Pass mandatory at events and concerts it organizes. 

Lee has warned that biometric facial recognition used to prevent scalping “could pose significant risks, including deepfake-related crimes.” The Korea Herald quoted the lawmaker as saying, “The current law lacks specific provisions for biometric data, treating it as sensitive information under the Enforcement Decree of the Personal Information Protection Act. We need explicit legislation to address biometric data collection and management.” In recent years, there have been many leaks of personal data records in Korea. 

An expert also told the newspaper, “Idol fandom comprises a large proportion of teenagers and a global audience. Using fan sentiment to justify data collection for efficiency or scalping prevention is problematic.” The expert added that a U.S. cybersecurity company has identified South Korea as “the [country] most susceptible to deepfake content globally.”

THAILAND

2 Deaths At Electric Daisy

The Bangkok Post reports that two foreign attendees of the Electric Daisy Carnival Thailand 2025 — an American and a Canadian — died Jan. 18 after being separately transported from the festival to a hospital in the resort city of Phuket. Neither the police nor hospital staff have yet stated what the cause of the deaths was pending an examination of the bodies.

Electric Daisy Carnival is a popular U.S.-based EDM festival. 

INDIA

Special Trains To Roll For Coldplay Fans

India’s Western Railway will provide special trains traveling between Mumbai and Ahmedabad on Jan. 25-26 to accommodate extra passengers attending Coldplay’s concerts. 

The move was made after a huge spike in demand caused by the concerts led to skyrocketing airfares, according to Devdiscourse.com

A railway official said that the trains would be classified as “winter specials” and were being used to “manage the increased passenger volume” due to the Coldplay concerts at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat. Each train will stop at multiple stations along their routes. Passengers going to the show at DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai will pay full fare, but there is still concern about travel capacity for passengers who are not going to the concerts. 

In other Coldplay news, the Jan. 26 concert in Ahmedabad will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar and will include behind-the-scenes footage of the band. 

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin announced the stream on social media. “You can watch it from anywhere in India,” he said. 

HONG KONG

Stadium Hiccups

Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Stadium staged its first test concert on Jan. 18 with the Four in Love Charity Live event featuring several popular local acts, including Jay Fung and boy band Dear Jane. The concert was a benefit for the Hong Kong Community Chest, according to the Standard, with all proceeds going towards the development of local youth affairs. 

The Standard also reported that the concert was delayed 30 minutes because an escalator in the stadium “malfunctioned” while ticket holders were being admitted. As a result, emergency measures were put into effect to control the crowds. Special bus routes had been implemented to handle the extra influx to the area surrounding the stadium. 

JAPAN

Sex Pistols, Iggy Pop Feature At Punkspring

Japan’s Creativeman Productions has announced the lineup for Punkspring 2025, which takes place March 29 in Osaka and March 30 in Tokyo. Both shows will feature The Sex Pistols (with Frank Carter on vocals), Bad Religion, Yellowcard and Pennywise, but the Tokyo edition will also have Iggy Pop. s

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