SM Entertainment's Venue Choice For Super Junior's Fan Meet Sparks Outrage— Here's Why
SM Entertainment recently found itself in hot water as fans raised concerns over the choice of venue for Super Junior's upcoming fan meeting. This event holds special significance as it marks the first Korean offline fan meeting for the group with all members present in eight years.
Scheduled for November 4, 2023, the event was originally slated to take place at Kyunghee University Grand Peace Palace.However, what ignited the backlash was the selection of the venue itself. The Kyunghee University Grand Peace Palace, a university auditorium hall, has a seating capacity of merely 4,500 fans.
Venue Selection Sparks Outrage
While such halls typically host fan meetings and concerts for celebrities, it appeared inadequate to accommodate the overwhelming number of Super Junior's fans, especially considering the international fans who may have intended to attend.
Additionally, criticism was directed at the small stage size.Given that it has been eight years since Super Junior held an offline fan meeting in South Korea, expectations were high, and it was anticipated that demand for tickets would far exceed the limited seating capacity.
Fans perceive this venue choice as a long-standing pattern of underestimating Super Junior's popularity and significance by the company.
In response to their dissatisfaction, fans organized protest trucks and directed them toward SM Entertainment on October 4, 2023, to voice their grievances.
The trucks carried messages demanding a change of venue for Super Junior's 18th-anniversary fan meeting and accusing the company of negligence in venue booking for various Super Junior events.
Here are the message carried by the trucks.
- Booking the venue late, negligent work. Blocking their ears and eyes for 18 years now. SM, who does shoddy work but gets paid, should wake up now. Change the venue for Super Junior's 18th anniversary fan meeting.
- First Korean fan meeting in 8 years. Was the Grand Peace Palace the best you could do? Own up to booking the venue late, and change the venue. Change the venue for Super Junior's 18th anniversary fan meeting.
- There's no end to SM's negligence. They've been repeating the same mistake with renting venues. Change the venue for Super Junior's 18th anniversary fan meeting.
- For their group concert, solo concert, and even fan meeting, they've been bad at booking venues. There's a limit to how much we can bear. Change the venue. Change the venue for Super Junior's 18th anniversary fan meeting.
Netizens also echoed the fans' sentiments, expressing astonishment at SM Entertainment's decision to book a smaller venue, particularly for a group as prominent as Super Junior.
Netizens' comments:
- Huh??? Super Junior at the Grand Peace Palace?
- Grand...Peace...Palace...LOL
- I was like, huh, just where is the venue? But when I saw the Grand Peace Palace, I was like, they crazy.
- They're insane.
- But the Grand Peace Palace is not super small, and their IRL fandom is also at the bottom ranks. Last year, they weren't able to fill all 3 days for an IRL concert, so how can they fill up a sports stadium now?
This controversy regarding the venue is not the first of its kind involving SM Entertainment, as fans previously successfully advocated for a venue change in the case of SHINee.
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The passionate call for a change in venue for Super Junior's fan meeting continues, highlighting the deep devotion of fans to the group and their desire to ensure a memorable and fitting celebration of Super Junior's 18th anniversary.
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KpopStarz own this article.
Cassidy Jones wrote this.