A growing number of major K-pop acts — including NCT Dream and Red Velvet — have adopted a ticketing policy that gives domestic South Korean fan club members priority access to concert pre-sales before global fan clubs can purchase, according to Kyunghyang Shinmun. The shift is sparking debate among fans worldwide about whether the policy is a smart fix for scalping or an unfair barrier for international supporters.
How the Policy Works and Who Started It
Kyunghyang Shinmun reports that HYBE's ENHYPEN was the first K-pop act to introduce the domestic fan club pre-sale priority system. Fellow HYBE acts CØRTIZ and BOYNEXTDOOR followed with the same approach. SM Entertainment then joined the trend, with Red Velvet and NCT Dream announcing their own versions of the policy.
JYP Entertainment has also stepped in. On the 23rd, JYP officially announced via social media that Stray Kids' upcoming Seoul concerts for their world tour RUN IT — set to begin on the 25th of next month — would follow a split pre-sale structure. Previously, Korean and global fan club members were able to purchase tickets together in a single unified pre-sale window. Under the new system, domestic fan club members get access one day ahead of global fan club members.
Scalping Fix or Fan Discrimination?
Supporters of the policy argue that prioritizing local buyers helps cut down on overseas ticket scalpers, who have long been a frustration at high-demand K-pop concerts. By giving verified domestic fan club members the first shot at tickets, agencies hope fewer seats end up on resale sites at inflated prices.
Critics, however, say the system goes too far and amounts to discrimination against international fans. Many global supporters invest significant time and money into K-pop fan club memberships, and being pushed to a secondary pre-sale window — even by just one day — can make the difference between getting a ticket and missing out entirely.
As more agencies across the industry line up behind this approach, the conversation around fair global access to K-pop concerts is only getting louder.
