SM Entertainment (SME) has come under fire for inadequate handling during the advance ticket sales for its overseas concert. It appears that the unrest among buyers has increased due to delays in ticket issuance caused by a system error from the ticketing agency.
According to a report from ChosunBiz on the 6th, SME conducted advance ticket sales for fan club members on the 24th (local time) ahead of its ‘SMTOWN LIVE 2025’ concert, which will be held in the United Kingdom on June 28 to celebrate its 30th anniversary. The tickets sold during the advance sale are reported to be of two types, VVIP and VIP seats, each costing 550 pounds (approximately 1.02 million won) and 400 pounds (approximately 740,000 won).
However, the ticketing process that started at 1 p.m. was not smooth, as the website crashed due to a surge in traffic. Despite being an overseas concert, payments made with foreign cards were delayed for about two hours, causing confusion.
There were also cases where purchased tickets were not confirmed in the payment records. Normally, once a purchase is successful in the ticketing process, individuals can verify their tickets through a confirmation email or through their reservation history on the website, but errors occurred in this process. Some buyers received tickets that did not correspond to the seats reserved or the quantity purchased.
As inquiries flooded in, the ticketing company announced through its website that it would resolve the issue within 72 hours and finished reissuing tickets on March 1, five days after the advance sale date. However, after randomly assigning audience members separate from their previously reserved seats and refunding only the dissatisfied buyers, criticism grew.
Starting from the 26th, the continuation of regular ticket sales as scheduled further exacerbated buyer dissatisfaction. A Swiss fan, identified only as A (29), lamented, “It feels deceptive to proceed with regular ticket sales without resolving the issues that had already occurred.”
Individuals who participated in the advance sale are currently gathering reports of victimization through social media platforms such as X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. As of the 5th, the reported cases have reached approximately 500.
French fan Maïmari Thiaw (22) said, “Some buyers have not even received refunds yet,” adding, “Victims cannot trust the company’s measures and are actively monitoring the situation themselves.” He further noted, “I’ve attended over 30 K-pop concerts, but this is the first time something like this has happened.”
The company overseeing this ticketing process is a startup called ‘Frontrow,’ which is dedicated to the European expansion of K-pop artists and has previously planned over 10 performances, including the 2024 London Hallyu Festival. It is understood that SME selected a company specialized in European performances.
A Frontrow representative stated, “According to our internal review, the number of cases of pre-sale damage is approximately 200,” adding, “We have almost completed the refund process. We are doing everything we can to prevent any additional problems.”
SME is also closely monitoring the situation. A representative from SME stated, “We are fully aware of the ticketing-related issues” and added, “We have requested measures from the company and are waiting for a response.”