"Buying scout uniforms just to see NewJeans?" "Selling free concert tickets for 300,000 won?"
A recent incident has raised eyebrows among the general public. It revolves around the attempt of a fan to disguise themselves to see the group NewJeans and the reselling of free tickets for the god concert.
On August 8 and 9, social media was flooded with posts showing captured content from fans wanting to buy Boy Scout uniforms. Concurrently, second-hand trading platforms also displayed listings from fans seeking to buy Jamboree Scout uniforms.
It didn't stop there. Comments on YouTube were captured where fans pleaded with Jamboree members, "Can you lend me a Jamboree uniform? I want to see NewJeans. I am a huge fan," only to receive backlash from other netizens.
This arose from the "2023 World Scout Jamboree K-Pop Super Live" event, also known as "K-Pop Super Live", which was rescheduled from the 6th to the 11th. Following the announcement that NewJeans would perform on the 11th, netizens claiming to be fans appeared en masse.
Many were appalled by the extent some fans were willing to go, even disguising themselves, just to attend the K-pop concert intended for Jamboree Scout members visiting Korea. The majority of comments condemned this behavior with remarks like "It's a national embarrassment," and "Even the idols are getting backlash because of this." The negative actions of certain fans even led to generalized criticisms, painting all fans with the same brush.
This problematic fan behavior also emerged in the case of the upcoming god concert in September, where the issue was scalping.
On the 9th, tickets for the god concert, celebrating god's 25th anniversary and KBS's 50 years, were released. The concert, titled "50 Years of KBS, 25 Years of god," is set to take place at 6:30 PM on September 9th at the Incheon Songdo Moonlight Festival Park.
According to KBS, all tickets were sold out within 3 minutes of the release, with an astounding 51,900 users waiting online. However, on the 9th and 10th, these tickets appeared on online resale platforms, with some priced at an exorbitant 300,000 won, essentially transforming free tickets into paid ones.
This act of scalping, especially for a concert that was initially free of charge, drew the ire of many netizens. KBS has since announced stringent measures against such practices.
A KBS representative disclosed on the 11th, "We have noticed our concert tickets being traded on various platforms like SNS and second-hand trading sites." They added, "KBS is continuously monitoring, and if such cases are discovered, legal actions will be taken. It's also been announced that god concert attendees will need to verify their identities up to the 200th standing ticket holder in each section. If there's a mismatch between the ticket holder and the ID, entry will be denied."
The representative emphasized that this is not just a problem for the god concert. "Every major concert faces issues of macro ticket purchases. It's not an easy problem to solve even for ticket platforms," they stated. "We urge the public not to blur the intent of free concerts by engaging in such ticket trades. If high-priced trades continue, KBS will take further strong actions."
While selling is a problem, purchasing these tickets is equally problematic. After all, there would be no scalping without buyers. Given that the 'god' concert is free, KBS emphasized the need for everyone to respect the spirit of such events. The term "misguided fandom" was even used.
"Misguided fandom." From using disguises to reselling free tickets at a price, these actions reveal a lost sense of conscience. As K-pop gains worldwide recognition, it's high time fans and audiences alike uphold a standard befitting its stature.