KBS Criticized For Changing The Name Of ‘Gayo Daechukje’ And Holding It In Japan To Make Profits
KBS changed the name of Gayo Daechukje to ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ after being criticized for holding it in Japan
KBS abandoned the name Gayo Daechukje they had been using since 2006 and is pushing ahead with the year-end concert under the new name ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ this year. The event will air on KBS on December 15th. The first part consists of live performances at KBS Hall and the second part is stages recorded at Belluna Dome in Japan.
To do this, KBS will hold ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ at Belluna Dome, Saitama, Japan on December 9th. The lineup this year includes 38 groups, ranging from rookies such as ZB1 and RIIZE, etc., to popular groups such as IVE, (G)I-DLE, NCT 127, NCT DREAM, etc. Due to the large lineup of performers, KBS emphasized that they would strictly confirm concert ticket holders with wristbands to prevent unauthorized ticket transactions.
The main reason for their decision to organize concerts overseas is for ‘profit’. Thanks to the popularity of K-pop, it has become more common for overseas K-pop award ceremonies and concerts to be held overseas. Rather than being cautious in the heavily criticized domestic market with issues such as ticket prices and ticketing tricks, it is relatively free to organize such events overseas.
However, this year’s KBS year-end concert is somewhat different from that of other broadcasting stations. 40% of its total revenue is filled by broadcasting fees paid by the public. As a public broadcaster in Korea, KBS must prioritize public service and public interest over profitability.
Nevertheless, KBS seems to be greedy in gaining more profits. Such year-end concerts have always been held free of charge, but this ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ is a paid event. The regular ticket price is 22,000 yen (about 200,000 won). VIP seats with special benefits are priced at 40,000 yen (about 360,000 won). These prices are relatively high compared to that of SEVENTEEN’s solo concert held at the same venue in November, which was 15,000 yen (130,000 won) per ticket on average. Even Japanese netizens are criticizing the high prices of ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ tickets.
Citing overseas fans’ requests as the reason, KBS still faced a backlash as netizens believed that they moved the event to Japan to make more profits from the growth of the K-pop market, rather than fulfilling the requests of local fans. In addition, some pointed out that KBS will add live broadcast performances in Part 1 to avoid criticism.
In short, KBS should prioritize the public over profits and pursue public service. If they wanted to raise the status of K-pop in Japan, they should have at least avoided setting high ticket prices to avoid controversies in Japan.
Source: Naver
