KBS’s ‘Gayo Daechukje’ in Japan Causes Controversy for the Name Change to ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ and Ticket Prices
KBS’s ‘Music Bank Global Festival’, formerly KBS Gayo Daechukje, has once again come under scrutiny due to the high prices of tickets
KBS has confirmed the ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ to be held on December 9th at the Saitama Arena. KBS has released the artist lineup and ticket information through its official website.
Originally, KBS intended to hold the year-end music festival in Japan under the original title ‘Gayo Daechukje,’ but it faced strong backlash from Korean fans. KBS later explained that the demand from global fans who wanted to see Korean artists in person had surged, thanks to the recent reopening of K-pop overseas performances after pandemic-related restrictions, prompting them to expand it as a global music festival, similar to what ‘Music Bank’ had been doing.
Despite dropping the name ‘Gayo Daechukje,’ the decision to hold a year-end music festival in Japan under the title ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ didn’t sit well with the Korean public.
Adding fuel to the fire, ticket prices were revealed, leading to further controversy. The officially published prices for assigned seating tickets on their website are 22,000 yen, roughly $147. VIP seats are priced at 40,000 yen, approximately $268, including the assigned seating cost.
Based on the ticket prices for K-pop artist concerts in Japan in 2023, it was found that Super Junior’s concert ‘Super Show 9’ held in March had regular assigned seats at 13,000 yen ($87). EXO-L-JAPAN’s ‘THE BEST,’ held in April, had tickets at 9,800 yen ($65) (limited to fan club members). SEVENTEEN’s upcoming concert in November has regular seats priced at 15,000 yen ($87).
Moreover, even at Tokyo Dome, one of Japan’s major concert venues, ticket prices for K-pop artists typically range from 10,000 yen to 20,000 yen ($67 – $134).
This led netizens to express even greater dissatisfaction with KBS’s ‘Music Bank Global Festival.’ They questioned KBS’s intentions, “KBS is just trying to make money with K-pop,” “Why is KBS, Korea’s public broadcaster, causing problems by holding a concert in Japan?” “It seems like they’ll go anywhere that makes money, not just Japan.”
On the other hand, the ‘Music Bank Global Festival’ has confirmed the participation of artists such as NewJeans, LE SSERAFIM, NMIXX, Kep1er, NiziU, ENHYPEN, STAYC, ITZY, ATEEZ, Stray Kids, The Boyz, Kang Daniel, and SHINee.
Source: nate
