Kakao Talk Student ID Now Available at PNU
Talk Student ID, already used by over 1 million students nationwide, is finally available to PNU students as of April 1st, 2025.
After more than two years since its launch, Kakao’s student identification service, Talk Student ID, is finally available at Pusan National University (PNU).
On April 10th, PNU announced that, as of April 1st, students currently enrolled at PNU are now able to use KakaoTalk Student IDs. Talk Student ID is a free mobile student identification card provided by Kakao Corporation to currently enrolled undergraduate or graduate students, as well as alumni. Students with a Talk Student ID can enjoy various discounts both online and offline at partner locations. Discount benefits include franchises such as coffee shops, convenience stores, online lecture platforms, movie theaters, and more.
Although many universities began adopting the Talk Student ID discount benefit shortly after its release in May 2023, PNU was excluded in the service until March 2025. According to Kakao, as of April 9th, more than 400 universities—including Kyungpook National University, Dong-A University, and Pukyong National University—are currently accessing the service, and the number of users has exceeded 1 million within a year of its launch. PNU Student A said, “I could have sometimes gotten a discount with the Talk Student ID instead of my physical student ID I had forgotten to carry which was frustrating.” Kwon (Dept. of Political Science and Diplomacy, 24) shared, “My go-to brands are part of the discount program, so I coveted it. Buying coffee every day is financially burdensome, and not being able to use the discount made me feel left out.”
In response to online complaints submitted in February requesting the adoption of the Talk Student ID, PNU decided to implement the service. The Division of Student Affairs stated that they had confirmed student demand for the Talk Student ID through the “PNU Suggestion Box” and, after reconsideration, decided to implement the service. An official from the Division of Student Affairs explained, “The Talk Student ID cannot replace the official student ID. Plus, at the time of our previous review in 2024, there weren’t as many benefits available as there are now, which is why we didn’t move forward with it. Upon recent review, we saw that a great number of benefits had been added, so we decided to participate for the sake of student welfare.”
Now that the service is available, it seems that students are relieved. Hwang Soo-Bin (Dept. of French Language and Literature, 22) said, “Around 2024, I wanted to get a discount at an amusement park, but PNU wasn’t eligible, so I was disappointed. It wasn’t a big deal, but it did make me feel a bit excluded. Now that it’s available, I’m happy.”
Reporter Kim So-Young
Translated by Thadar-Soe