On Sep 14th, IU Gallery released a lengthy statement saying, “Today, Seoul City released a statement regarding IU’s concert, and fans could not help but feel enraged at the city’s attempt to shift responsibility for the ‘turf issue.’ We are now announcing an official stance reflecting fans’ opinions.”
In the statement, IU Gallery said, “Fans feel a great sense of relief that IU’s concert, scheduled for next week at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, will proceed normally. However, we cannot overlook the incompetence of Seoul City’s administration.”
The statement continued, “The turf issue at the World Cup Stadium is entirely due to the neglect of the Seoul Facilities Corporation. Seoul City, which manages and supervises the Facilities Corporation, should take responsibility for the turf issue and apologize to Seoul citizens. Instead, the city is misleading the public into believing that the exclusion of ground seats from sales starting next year is a result of IU’s concert.”
It added, “Given that two other concerts were held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium before IU’s, the Facilities Corporation is expected to earn over 3.6 billion won in concert fees alone in 2024. Therefore, it is only right for the corporation to have managed the turf with utmost care and diligence.”
Earlier on Sep 14th, Seoul City announced that from 2025, the sale of ground seats for concerts and other cultural events at the Seoul World Cup Stadium would be restricted. This measure is said to be a response to concerns raised about the condition of the turf following the September 5th match between the men’s national football team and Palestine in the 2026 North and Central American World Cup qualifiers.
Source: naver