Stray Kids Announces “5-STAR DOME TOUR”, But Korean Netizens Are Already Criticizing JYP Entertainment Over It

Earlier today, an announcement was made that Stray Kids will be embarking on a dome tour starting in August later this year. With five dates total, four of the concert stops will happen in Japan while the fifth will take place in Seoul.

Stray Kids(스트레이 키즈)
5-STAR Dome Tour 2023 Seoul Special

2023.09.30 (SAT)
2023.10.01 (SUN)

@ KSPO DOME (올림픽체조경기장)#StrayKids #스트레이키즈#5_STAR#5_STAR_DOMETOUR#5_STAR_DOMETOUR_Seoul_Special#YouMakeStrayKidsStay pic.twitter.com/zk04iR1ZKX

— Stray Kids (@Stray_Kids) June 12, 2023

While many fans are excited for the opportunity to see Stray Kids and listen to the new songs off of their latest album, ★★★★★ (5-STAR), Korean netizens have been quick to voice several complaints and criticisms about the choice of dates and venues for the dome tour.

The criticisms are, of course, aimed at JYP Entertainment and, more specifically, Division 1 (the division of the label in charge of Stray Kids), rather than aimed at the members themselves. Firstly, fans are worried that this tour is coming too soon after their last one, the MANIAC world tour, which lasted nearly a whole year and only ended back in early April. It seems like a surefire way for the members to become overworked and put a strain on their health.

Apart from the health of the members, Korean fans also think it’s unfair that more than half of the venues that Stray Kids have had concerts in have been outside of South Korea, despite being a K-Pop group. Additionally, the fact that the first three stops of the 5-STAR Dome Tour will be in Japan, and only the fourth one will be in Korea, is also upsetting to Korean fans.

On this note, the first Japanese concert in Fukuoka on August 16 and 17 is taking place only a day after Korean Independence Day. The holiday, which takes place on August 15, commemorates the day that Korea was liberated from Japanese colonial rule in 1945. This is arguably the most serious of the issues that Korean fans have with the tour, and understandably so.

Speaking of holidays, the Seoul concert will be taking place during the chuseok long holiday on September 30 and October 1, which is usually a time Korean netizens spend with their friends and family. Not only will the Stray Kids members not be able to participate, but fans may have to choose between being with their loved ones or going to the concert. Additionally, it will be difficult for people outside of Seoul to get transportation and lodging in the city during this time, since so many people have already planned ahead for the holiday.

Finally, fans are concerned that it will be hard to get tickets to the Seoul concert at the KSPO Dome in Seoul, since the venue only holds 15,000 people. Prior events that Stray Kids had at the venue sold out completely, so a two-day event seems too short for every fan to be able to get tickets.

The many criticisms of the tour have been discussed online, with Korean netizens sharing their thoughts and opinions about all of the potential issues.

• “Il-bonbu (Division 1) actually turns out to be ilbon-bu (Japanese Division).”
  (Note: This is a word play on the homonym “ilbon”)
• “So Korean fans who want to watch the Japan leg of the show have to fly out of Korea to Japan on Korean Independence Day, which celebrates independence from Japan. Am I getting that right? Actively turning Stays into traitors…”
• “Thank you, Stray Kids, for visiting Korea. ^_^”
• “This f*cking sucks… I hated that they only had a week of music show promotions, too.”
• “I see some of you think Stays are mad because of the Japan leg being on the day after Korea’s Independence Day… It’s not only about that. Fans are upset because there have been multiple issues piling up. And fans are the most frustrated with the Seoul leg falling on the Korean chuseok holiday.”
• “What’s going on with idol management companies these days? From TREASURE to ENHYPEN… It’s starting to make sense why girl groups are doing so much better right now. Like, this is f*cking stupid because Stray Kids should focus on growing their Korean fandom. They lack popularity in Korea. And I truly wish for boy groups to be loved again.”

International fans have also added their own thoughts, and agree with Korean netizens about their complaints.

Fans are hoping that if they speak up enough, the dates and other issues around the tour might be changed.