Blackpink fans upset over blocked views at concert
Concertgoers took to social media to vent frustration over severely obstructed views during performances on Saturday and Sunday at Goyang Sports Complex in Gyeonggi Province.
'There's no point in writing a review. You just can't see anything,' one fan wrote on X.
'This wasn't a 'restricted view seat,' it was a 'no view seat,'' another fan said online.
Some compared the experience to 'watching a movie theater screen with a crowd,' without any actual view of the stage.
The biggest complaints came from fans seated in section N3.
Despite paying the regular B-tier ticket price of 132,000 won — around $97 — many said their view was almost entirely blocked by large screen structures placed near the stage.
Officially labeled 'restricted view' seats were sold for a lower price of 99,000 won.
Although the ticketing site included a warning about 'possible visual obstruction due to stage structures,' fans argue that what they experienced was not just a slight inconvenience, but a complete blockage of the view.
According to local reports, some fans are considering filing complaints with the Korea Consumer Agency.
Under Korea's consumer protection guidelines, concertgoers may be entitled to a full refund plus 10 percent compensation if the organizer is found responsible for significantly obstructing the audience's view.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Korea Herald
11 hours ago
- Korea Herald
Blackpink leaps onto Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 28, dominates global charts
Blackpink has taken another giant stride, landing on Billboard's Hot 100 at No. 28 with the new single 'Jump,' according to a preview of the chart dated July 26. It is the group's 10th entry on the main songs chart. The single notched the No. 1 spot on both the Global 200 and Global Excl. US, bumping down 'Golden' from the soundtrack of breakout hit animated film 'KPop Demon Hunters.' This is the first time that 'the top two spots on each belong to all-female groups, and each have notable ties to Korean pop,' noted the publication. 'Jump' is the quartet's third chart-topper on the Global 200 and fourth on Global Excl. US. The thumping tune has been reigning atop Spotify's Daily Top Songs Global for five days straight and hit the UK's Official Singles Chart Top 100 at No. 18. Meanwhile, Blackpink is in Toronto for the "Deadline' tour, having performed on Monday with another concert set for Tuesday. The girl group next heads to New York for concerts on Saturday and Sunday.
Korea Herald
a day ago
- Korea Herald
Spotify's 2025 Global Impact List highlights rise of soloists
Jennie, Jin and J-Hope dominate as K-pop soloists, lead the top 30 most-streamed Korean tracks outside Korea Global music streaming platform Spotify on Monday unveiled its 2025 Global Impact List for the first half of the year, spotlighting the growing influence of K-pop soloists such as Jennie, Jin and J-Hope. The Global Impact List ranks the 30 most-streamed tracks by Korean artists outside of South Korea between Jan. 1 and June 30. This year's list offers a glimpse into the evolving K-pop landscape through a diverse lineup of artists, highlighting the importance of artists' charm as soloists and their active interaction with overseas musicians. One of the most notable trends is the rise of solo K-pop acts — out of the top 30 songs, 19 were by solo artists, and among the top 10, 9 tracks were sung by soloists. Spotify noted that the chart reflects a shift in K-pop from group-centered storytelling to more personal narratives and individual artistic identity. A total of 14 Korean acts appeared on the list, including BTS members Jin and J-Hope, Blackpink's Jennie, Rose and Jisoo, as well as Ive, Le Sserafim, NCT's Ten, Tomorrow X Together, GOT7, Seventeen, Meovv, BoyNextDoor and G-Dragon. Of the 30 tracks, only 12 came from artists or groups outside of BTS and Blackpink. Topping the list is Jennie's main track 'Like Jennie' from her March solo album "Ruby," followed by Jin's 'Don't Say You Love Me' from his second mini album "Echo," released in May. Jennie stood out with nine songs featured on the list, all from "Ruby." Fellow Blackpink member Jisoo placed No. 8 and No. 27 with 'Earthquake' and 'Your Love,' respectively, while Rose's 'Messy,' part of the 'F1 The Movie' soundtrack, ranked No. 14. J-Hope, who has been actively promoting new releases and his solo world tour, landed four songs on the list: 'Mona Lisa' at No. 4, 'Sweet Dreams' at No. 6, 'LV Bag' at No. 10 and 'Killin' It Girl' at No. 16. NCT Ten's 'Stunner,' the title track of its March solo album, RM's surprise collaboration with Epik High's Tablo, 'Stop The Rain' (released during RM's military service), and G-Dragon's comeback single 'Too Bad' were also included in the list. Among group releases, Le Sserafim secured the highest group ranking with 'Hot' at No. 9, also placing No. 23 with 'Come Over.' Ive landed two tracks on the chart, 'Rebel Heart' at No. 12 and 'Attitude' at No. 21. TXT's 'Love Language' came in at No. 20, GOT7's 'Python' at No. 24 and Seventeen's 'Thunder' at No. 25. Rookie girl group Meovv appeared with 'Hands Up,' and BoyNextDoor closed out the list with 'If I Say, I Love You.' Aside from the strong presence of solo mega hits, another key takeaway was the popularity of K-pop collaborations with global artists. Jennie expanded her sound and global appeal through collaborations with Doechii, Dominic Fike, Dua Lipa, Childish Gambino and Kali Uchis. J-Hope solidified his global presence with collaborations featuring Miguel, Pharrell Williams and GloRilla. G-Dragon's comeback track drew major attention thanks to his team-up with Anderson Paak. The Spotify list also pointed to the increasing impact of original soundtracks from films and animation. In addition to Rose's 'Messy' at No. 14, the platform highlighted the rapid rise of "Your Idol" — a track from the Netflix hit "Kpop Demon Hunters" which, despite being released just six days before data collection ended, debuted at No. 41.
Korea Herald
2 days ago
- Korea Herald
Lee Min-ho's curious antihero turn
The K-drama superstar returns to cinema after a decade to play a central figure who barely shows up Lee Min-ho needs no introduction in Korea's entertainment world. Since his breakout as the imperious, poodle-permed Gu Jun-pyo in "Boys Over Flowers" at 22, he's cornered the market on romantic leads: the tortured chaebol in "The Heirs," the morally ambiguous mogul in "Pachinko," the starry-eyed astronaut in the recent flop "When the Stars Gossip." Always the hero, always front and center. But for a star who's built his career on main character energy, this latest role marks a left turn. In "Omniscient Reader: The Prophet," a genre-blending fantasy epic hitting theaters Wednesday, Lee plays Yoo Joong-hyuk — a battle-hardened warrior stuck in an endless loop, dying and restarting the apocalypse like it's just another Tuesday. He stalks the edges of the film in a leather coat, glowering at Ahn Hyo-seop's earnest everyman who's trying to save the world armed only with decency and determination. 'I'll be honest, it was lonely and desolate,' Lee says, speaking to reporters at a coffee shop in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, Thursday. 'If you think about it, this is the protagonist of protagonists. Normally when we talk about a main character, we build their emotional arc throughout the film. My biggest challenge was figuring out how to fill those gaps convincingly.' It's not just the brooding, hard-to-like character that makes this turn stand out. As the first installment in what producers hope will become a franchise based on a hit web novel of the same title, director Kim Byung-woo had to compress the sprawling plotlines for the screen. Yoo Joong-hyuk took the biggest hit. He barely shows up, speaks a handful of lines and arrives without a backstory or context. Viewers are given almost no clues as to who he is or why he matters. Even his supposed bond with protege Ji-hye, played by Blackpink's Jisoo — the kind of pairing fans would line up to see — was a mystery to Lee. 'I honestly had no idea how we were even connected,' he says with a laugh. 'I was flying blind." Still, at 38 and on his fourth feature film, Lee speaks like someone no longer worried about screen time. 'I try to go straight for the essence,' he says. 'When I first met the director, we spent 80 percent of our time talking about Dok-ja (Ahn's character). The audience has to buy into him first. Only then does Yoo Joong-hyuk's presence start to make sense.' His approach: ditch the surface-level cool and focus on what the character contributes to the story. 'Reading the script, I couldn't find a single moment where the guy felt cool. Struggling through flaws and growing — that's usually what makes someone cool, but the film skips straight to the endpoint,' he says. 'So I had to ask: How does this one character carry the weight of the whole world-building?' That question took him to unexpected places. Yoo Joong-hyuk's endless loop of death and resurrection led Lee to reflect on mortality, memory and the trap of having too much experience. 'Most people probably dream of immortality,' he says. 'But would that really make you happy? I try not to let experience become the only lens I see the world through. That's how people get stuck. And Yoo Joong-hyuk is forced into experiences he never asked for, over and over. His only way to survive is ruthless efficiency.' Even the film's wild premise of a global apocalypse turned into a game show for sentient cosmic beings started to hit close to home. 'We're becoming more isolated as people, while everything gets more systematized,' he says. 'People shine when they're part of something bigger. And this whole live-streamed survival setup? That's our world too. Everything's about being louder, more extreme, competing for attention. It's the same story — just told through fantasy.' The stakes for "Omniscient Reader" are high. With a reported budget of 30 billion won and franchise hopes riding on its box office, the film faces the tricky task of winning over hardcore fans while also hooking newcomers who might be thrown by all the interdimensional jargon. Add to that the pressure of a sluggish post-pandemic box office — no Korean film this year has passed 4 million admissions — and this one needs at least 6 million to break even. Lee, for his part, seems unfazed. This return to film was a promise he made to himself in his twenties, and the numbers, he says, though important, aren't the point. 'Back then, I went to theaters for catharsis, looking for something meaningful. I told myself I'd wait until my thirties, when I'd have more to offer,' he says. 'Now I like these intense, compact, two-hour stories.' So what does he hope audiences will say? 'That it was fun.' He doesn't miss a beat. 'Simple is best. That one word says everything.'
