SM forcefully makes fans watch the rehearsal?

Many KPOP fans might have noticed that after the impact of the pandemic, whether it be concerts or fan meetings, the ticket price for various performances has been continuously rising. Especially for idol concerts that usually have the same price for all areas, the cost is at least between 150,000 to 200,000, making many fans exclaim that it's too much to bear.

As the prices of previous concerts mostly ranged from 110,000 to 150,000, not only are there now divisions by area and floor, but many agencies have adopted a member ticket purchase system. However, fans are often unable to buy tickets for the areas they want and can only rely on luck to avoid sitting at a bird's-eye view spot in the top part of the venue, referred to as 'the dome of God.' This has led many fans willing to pay a premium for scalped tickets, just to get a seat closer to the stage.

Image Source l melon ticket

Recently, a netizen posted on a forum about the ticket prices for the solo concert of Taemin, a member of the boy group SHINee, stating that they were too expensive. According to the post, the most expensive seat costs 198,000 Korean won, while even the general seats cost 154,000 won. Many fans are exclaiming that the prices are too outrageous.

Image Source l theqoo

Though it's always said that no matter what you do, it's fine, but this price is really not acceptable. Just adding up transportation costs alone, how much does it have to cost in total? The price for a personal concert like this is really too high...

Although the ticket information indicates that the Metamorph seating includes access to the rehearsal, some fans believe that not everyone wants to see the rehearsal, nor does everyone have the time to see it. They don't understand why they need to bundle these two together, indirectly increasing the price just for better seats.

Image Source l 10cm IG

Perhaps a ticket price of 198,000 is no longer surprising, but in fact, compared to other solo concerts in Korea, it is indeed much higher. The price is almost the same as that of a group concert, and it has been criticized by many netizens.

Image Source l melon ticket

In addition, some netizens have cited data showing that the monopolies of SM and HYBE have harmed the KPOP industry. Although the ticket prices of the two companies were relatively affordable in the early days, they have been steadily rising since 2019. In fact, after the gradual reopening from the pandemic in 2022, the price increases of the two companies can be said to be very substantial.

Image Source l theqoo

After the concert price was revealed, it immediately became a hot topic on Korean websites. Some netizens even commented on the venue choice of Incheon, which is not in Seoul, saying, "I always say it's okay no matter what, but this price really can't be like this. How much will the transportation costs add up to? How much do I have to spend in total?", "The price for a solo concert is way too high...", "It's really outrageously expensive", and "Do they really treat fans as ATMs? They need to be more restrained." The responses were very heated.