Netizens Complain About Music Bank Global Festival’s Boring Stage Decorations And Performances In Korea

Music Bank Global Festival continued to face a backlash even after it ended

KBS sparked controversy as they changed the name of its special year-end concert Gayo Daechukje to “Music Bank Global Festival” and held it in Japan this year. KBS official explained that their decision was based on the growth of the K-pop market and Japanese fans’ requests. In the end, Music Bank Global Festival was held in two parts: Part 1 was the recording in Japan on December 8th, and Part 2 was the live broadcast in Korea on December 15th.

Despite the smooth broadcast, controversies and criticism over the fact that KBS held it in Japan continued after the event. 

First of all, the broadcast of performances in Korea seems to lack energy. Hosted by MCs Rowoon and IVE’s Jang Won-young, the second part of Music Bank Global Festival consisted of performances at KBS Hall, the venue that has been used for Gayo Daechukje in previous years. 

Excessive use of laser lighting and confusing camera screen composition were pointed out to have prevented viewers from experiencing the stage to their fullest. During certain stages, the artists’ dance break scenes were not properly captured, leading to dissatisfaction among fandoms. In fact, viewers reviewed that the stage decoration was just similar to that of their weekly music show “Music Bank”.

Unlike the connections between performances of the concert recording in Japan, the Korean concert was less dynamic and exciting as pre-recorded stages and live stages were mixed. Maybe it was due to the small venue of only 1,600 seats compared to the Belluna Dome in Japan, which has over 30,000 seats, the Korean concert looked somewhat simple and boring.

In fact, the recording of the concert in Japan received compliments as they were hosted in a large venue with many fans. Hosted by MC Rowoon, actress Go Min-si and rapper Lee Young-ji, the event was explosive by featuring performances of hot stars, such as BOYNEXTDOOR, Enhypen, NewJeans, ITZY, ATEEZ, LE SSERAFIM and Japanese groups &Team and NiziU. This is also the reason why Korean viewers are expressing disappointment.

Apart from the differences in the stage arrangements in Japan and Korea, the broadcasting method of Music Bank Global Festival was also criticized for discriminating against Korean viewers.

Source: Daum