Fans Call IU To Step Up Amidst EDAM Entertainment’s Ticketing Fiasco

Recently, a story came to light where an IU fan shared that they had been wrongfully barred from entering IU’s concert despite having a valid ticket. This fan, in particular, was contacted by EDAM Entertainment before the concert date because they suspected that it was a case of illegal scalping. The fan provided all necessary evidence of their purchase, and despite being greenlit by the agency to attend the concert, they were denied entry on the day of the event.

IU | EDAM Entertainment

This controversy further deepened when fans realized that despite the original ticketholder being barred from entering the venue, their particular seat was occupied during the concert, raising suspicions of whether a staff member had taken it up or given it away to someone.

The circled seat allegedly belonged to the fan barred from entering. | theqoo

After this story made it online, fans have been outraged over the mishandling of the situation by EDAM. The label finally responded to the accusations on April 3, KST, offering some explanation in the process. They apologized for addressing the issue late, reasoning that gathering the relevant data to assess it properly took a while. The agency also admitted that they felt responsible for the mishap.

The ‘secret royal inspector system’ was implemented by our agency, Melon Ticket and the concert team to prevent illegal transactions to some extent, and we feel a heavy responsibility for this incident. If the fan felt discomfort from the handling process to this announcement, we apologize sincerely.

— EDAM Entertainment

EDAM, however, sternly denied that their staff members might have given the seat away to any acquaintance and defended their on-site personnel saying that they just followed due procedure and there were no personal judgements applied.

None of our staff members or on-site personnel transferred the ticket to any acquaintance. To clear up this misunderstanding, we also keep the original printed tickets for that day’s seat in its original form. For many years, our company has provided detailed guidance on detecting fraudulent ticket transactions through notices posted on ticket reservation sites and official channels. On the day of the incident, the response was made according to internal guidelines, so there cannot be any individual judgment applicable to this situation.

— EDAM Entertainment

The fan who was barred from entering the concert demanded a full refund of their ticket, fan club membership fee, transportation expenses on the concert day, and compensation for their lightstick. EDAM made it clear in the statement that they will attempt to resolve the matter amicably and handle all other complaints as quickly as possible.

After EDAM’s statement, many netizens were still disappointed with how they handled this issue and even brought IU into the equation. Many netizens brought up the old IU fan from the US who the singer personally invited to her concert, complaining that while she was able to reach out to that fan to offer tickets, she kept shut about the Korean fan’s grievance.

| theqoo

• “She’s kind to foreign male fans but doesn’t care what happens to her Korean female fans, LOL. If domestic female fans continue to break their heads over trying to shield her even after this, she will also keep doing this.”
• “Grandpa also needs to prepare to be summoned.”
• “Huh…I feel really sad for Korean fans, Do I need to leave the fandom? TT”
• “LOL, take care of your Korean fans.”
• “I’m so disappointed…Be it human beings or companies, domestic discrimination is the worst.”
• “Korean fans are the only ones taken for granted, LOL. It’s absurd that Korean fans are the ones spending money while foreigners receive the service.”

| theqoo

• “Only Korean fans are the pushovers.”
• “Legendary fan discrimination.”
• “A Korean grandpa won’t be able to go to the concert if his granddaughter buys the ticket for him.”
• “It doesn’t make sense that IU can’t call out her agency in this situation.”
• “Korean fans are f*cking taken for granted.”