[비즈한국] The unofficial waiting culture, which originated within idol fandoms, is spreading to event venues outside of fandom spheres, fueling conflicts among attendees. As moves to impose self-made fan numbering systems as if they were official entry sequences emerge, controversy over fairness is also growing. Ahead of the NOL Festival taking place on the 17th, controversy continues to surround the waiting numbers created by fans themselves.
In idol fandoms, it has been common practice for fans to manage their own entry sequences before standing concerts or pre-recordings for music shows. In this method, a fan who arrives at the venue first takes on the role of "chongdae" (representative), assigns numbers, manages a list, and then gathers everyone again at specific times to verify attendance.
Conflicts over these "unofficial waiting numbers" are flaring up ahead of the NOL Festival in Goyang on the 17th. On the 10th, a post was uploaded to the "NOL Festival NOL-Fes 10/17 Day 1 Overnight Representative" account on X (formerly Twitter), announcing that they would be the "representative" for the first day of the NOL Festival. The account operator provided information on times and locations for self-managed roll calls, stating they would manage the sequence and list.
They even requested that fans take photos of their own sketchbooks alongside those of the people in front of and behind them to prepare for cases where sketchbooks might be removed. They also stated that during attendance checks, they would verify the numbers by comparing the photos taken with the originals.
As this post spread, online backlash grew against individuals—rather than the organizers—determining the order of entry. One netizen commented, "It seems this queuing culture is becoming more extreme," adding, "I hope this incident serves as an opportunity for festival organizers to recognize the severity of the problem and come up with countermeasures."
Following a series of inquiries, NOL announced via its official SNS that overnight waiting is prohibited and that any waiting lists or unofficial numbered tickets created by attendees would not be reflected in the actual entry sequence. Occupying space with tents or picnic mats was also banned. However, voices are calling for more concrete plans on how to respond if unofficial queues actually persist on-site despite these policies.
Such scenes are being witnessed not only at the NOL Festival but at various event venues and festivals. During the "LOVESOME Festival" held in April, chaos ensued when fan-made overnight queues clashed with new lines formed on the day of the event, and at the "2026 Busan International Rock Festival," an attendee once cleared away waiting-number papers that had been taped all over the ground.
Some idol fandoms accept these methods as a way to maintain order and reduce the burden of waiting for long hours. On the other hand, among non-fandom attendees, there is backlash against the practice of securing spots with sketchbooks or lists without people physically waiting, and against individuals who are not organizers setting numbers and gathering times. Conflicts continue to arise, especially when fan-made sequences are imposed on other attendees.
Because of this, many attendees are calling for organizers to establish clearer waiting sequences and entry criteria. They suggest that instead of relying on fan-made numbers, organizers should distribute official numbered tickets or manage entry through pre-application lotteries or mobile queuing systems.
Recently, there have been cases of switching from first-come, first-served systems to reduce on-site confusion. Hanwha Ocean changed the entry method for its "Ocean Harmony" event, scheduled for October 24, from the existing first-come, first-served basis to a pre-application lottery system to prevent overnight waits and overcrowding, and to safely manage entry flow.
On the 16th, one day before the NOL Festival, the "NOL Festival Representative" account that caused the controversy was suspended following a series of reports. However, it has been confirmed that the representative and some other people waiting are still holding their spots at the venue.
NOL stated to Biz Hankook on the 12th, "We will guide official waiting and entry procedures through on-site operational staff on the day of the event and will do our utmost in on-site management to ensure no confusion or inconvenience occurs among attendees." As they have drawn a hard line by stating they will not recognize unofficial waiting numbers, attention is focused on how the organizers will manage the queues on the day of the event.