KPop legend SHINee’s fandom is unhappy and currently protesting due to the band’s label SM Entertainment’s choice of venue for the band’s upcoming fan meet and greet.
SHINee’s upcoming 15th-anniversary fan meet and greet, “Everyday is SHINee Day – Piece of Shine-,” was scheduled on May 27 at Kintex, a convention and exhibition center in Goyang, Gyeonggi. It is the first time all four band members come together since performing their military duties.
However, fans pointed out that the chosen venue did not have a good view of the main stage. All seats are laid on the ground and not the usual tiered seating. It will be hard to see the members as large cameras are set between the seats.
SHINee World, the fandom, pointed out that the tickets are non-refundable and weren’t eligible for the government’s income tax deduction for cultural life expenses as SM Entertainment didn’t sign up for the program.
These mounting issues led fans to protest. On Monday, several fans rented trucks with digital screens to drive around SM Entertainment’s headquarters with fans’ complaints seen by workers and bypassers. On Twitter, “SM_consumerfraud_fanmeetboycott” trended online with over 72,000 tweets.
SM Entertainment quickly apologized for the venue. However, they will not change it as the venue was chosen because it was the only available location within the time frame. In their statement, they said they’d originally made a reservation with a venue that could hold up to 5,000 people. But they were declined due to sudden internal schedule changes, and the only available venue was Kintex Hall in Ilsan and felt there was no choice but to choose it for the fan meeting venue.
SM Entertainment stated they’d work to provide better visibility to the concertgoers, including adding moving platforms for members to use onstage and additional screens.
Regarding the tickets not being eligible for an income tax deduction scheme on cultural life expenses, SM Entertainment admitted they hadn’t considered this. They promise to take appropriate action, and will update fans before the event.
Source: Korea JoongAng Daily
