[비즈한국] While the whole world is raving about the achievements of K-Pop, the reality faced by the fans—the biggest force sustaining this massive industry—is not as glamorous. The K-Pop industry is so heavily dependent on the purchasing power of fans that it would be impossible to explain without the fandom economy. Yet, the fundamental rights of fans, who are the consumers, are often pushed to the back burner in the name of affection. We examine the practices and problems of the concert industry that do not live up to K-Pop's global status, from the perspective of user rights.
It has long been the case that the K-Pop concert industry has become a core revenue source for entertainment companies. For entertainment agencies, concerts are viewed not just as events but as key assets that generate long-term cash flow. This is because global tours not only generate massive revenue from ticket sales alone but also lead to a chain reaction of merchandise consumption, such as light sticks, clothing, and accessories.
In the first quarter of this year, SM Entertainment recorded 177.363 billion won (63.5%) out of its 264.1 billion won in entertainment revenue from its concert and video content production divisions. SM explained that the expansion of concert scales and the growth of MD and licensing effects were the main factors behind their performance, stating, "The proportion of revenue based on concerts and IP is continuously expanding."
HYBE is also increasing the weight of its concert business. Throughout 2025, it generated 763.95 billion won in revenue from the performance sector, including concerts and fan meetings. This accounts for 28.8% of total revenue, the second-largest portion after albums and music streaming (29.1%). In the first quarter of this year, the performance sector recorded 88.722 billion won in revenue.
In its quarterly report, HYBE stated, "The Korean popular music industry has an advanced business model that builds a loyal fandom and conducts intensive and continuous concert and management activities centered around it." Industry experts analyze that the concert business has established itself as a key pillar supporting the corporate value of entertainment companies, based on stable fandom consumption.
However, the on-site experience felt by the fans—the consumers of this 'advanced model'—is quite different. It is pointed out that the consumer rights of K-Pop fans, who support a significant portion of the $9.2 billion K-Pop market, are still stuck in the same place.
160,000 won for the 4th floor of Gocheok Dome, the hidden side of 'uniform pricing'
As the scale of the concert business grows, so do the complaints and controversies surrounding it. While rising concert ticket prices are a trend seen across the global concert market, the practice of 'uniform pricing for all seats' is particularly prevalent in domestic K-Pop concerts. Whereas it is standard for visiting overseas artists' concerts to divide seats into grades based on the section and view, domestic idol concerts often charge the same price with minimal differentiation in seat grades.
Tomorrow X Together (TXT)'s concert, held for three days at the Olympic Gymnastics Arena in Songpa-gu, Seoul at the end of February, was sold at a flat rate of 154,000 won for all seats, without distinguishing between standing and seating. The SHINee concert scheduled to be held at the same arena at the end of May is structured with two price points: 198,000 won for Diamond seats and 165,000 won for General seats. The Korea concert of the Japanese band Official Hige Dandism, to be held at the same venue this coming August, has divided standing and reserved seats into R, S, A, and B grades, ranging from 132,000 won to 165,000 won.
In the case of Post Malone's Korea concert held in October at the 40,000-seat Goyang Sports Complex main stadium, it consists of subdivided grades including P, R, S, A, B, C, D, and E, as well as an Early Entry VIP package (around 430,000 won) and a Premium VIP package (around 520,000 won). Standing seats are 154,000 won, and the cheapest E-section seats are 99,000 won. It is a structure that reflects the perceived value based on where one sits in the price.
In addition, the fan club membership fee of around 30,000 won, which is required to secure pre-sale rights, has effectively solidified as an essential cost.
There have been cases where uniform seating configurations led to actual harm on-site. At the BLACKPINK world tour Goyang concert last July, audience members in some sections could not properly enjoy the performance throughout the concert because of a large screen installed on the exact opposite side of the stage. The section in question was sold at the normal B-seat price (132,000 won), not as a restricted view seat, and the controversy continued as there was no separate notice regarding the restricted view of this area on the booking page.
One K-Pop fan said, "Isn't it a problem to charge the same price for all seats when you can't even see the stage properly from the 3rd or 4th floors of a large venue like the Gocheok Dome?" adding, "Only K-Pop concerts don't have restricted view seats, or they are particularly limited.”
More expensive packages, longer waits
Complaints about package products, which are sold like additional services beyond tickets, are also repeated. The soundcheck (sachek) package is sold with the intention of providing an opportunity to see the artist up close at the rehearsal site before the main show, but it is pointed out that the on-site experience often falls short of expectations.
A K-Pop idol fan named Bang (28) lamented, "Sachek is talked about like fan service for fans, but the price is more expensive, and because re-entry is not allowed, if you are standing, you have to endure up to 5 hours between the soundcheck and the main show to secure your spot. You can use the lobby and go to the bathroom, but most people guard their spots. If you include the concert time, it's 7-8 hours.”
Regarding 'high-touch' (a fan contact event where you briefly high-five or touch hands with the artist after the concert) or 'hi-bye' (an event where you say farewell to the artist from a close distance), complaints like "It ends in an instant like a passing touch" or "The staff pushed us even though we moved quickly according to the instructions for each event" are constantly mentioned on social media.
Controversies over on-site operations related to identity verification are also endless. There are claims that some performances required the submission of financial certificates or school records in the process of cross-verification to prevent ticket resale and unauthorized viewing. At the DAY6 fan meeting held at Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul last July, a controversy arose when some audience members were unable to enter due to excessive identity verification procedures. A teenage audience member who brought their student ID was even asked to confirm their identity through a police station, but was ultimately denied entry. JYP Entertainment later apologized officially, saying, "The identity verification procedure was excessive," and promised a refund and compensation.
Immediately after the incident, more than 4,000 people participated in a petition online calling for "improvement of identity verification for idol concerts," and many supportive opinions followed. While the industry explains that it is an inevitable measure to prevent ticket scalping, there is a perspective among fans that excessive verification stifles the viewing experience itself.
Criticism exists that the industry generally perceives that fans' high loyalty means complaints do not lead to attrition.
An official from the industry said, "Situations where fans are inconvenienced sometimes arise at concert sites due to safety and operational issues," but added, "We are expanding manpower and costs to improve the level of on-site operation." Another official said, "There is a shift in perception towards treating fans as brand assets. An atmosphere has emerged where taking good care of fans is mentioned as the artist's own competitiveness. The industry has also begun to be aware that if fans' complaints pile up like in the past, it will eventually lead to fandom attrition.”