Fans with Army membership, merchandise purchase record on Weverse eligible to enter ticket lottery
BTS unveiled ticketing details for their highly anticipated comeback performance at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul — the group’s first live appearance in more than three years.
On Monday, Big Hit Music announced through global fan platform Weverse that BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang will take place at 8 p.m. on March 21. The seven-member group will perform fan-favorites as well as new songs from their upcoming fifth album, “Arirang,” which will be released a day earlier on March 20.
The concert will be free of charge and open to the public, with ticket sales divided into two main options: general tickets available for purchase online and a special fan lottery.
General admission ticket sales will open on Nol Ticket at 8 p.m. on Feb. 23, with specific details expected to be announced on the platform at 12 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Meanwhile, fan lottery tickets will be limited to members of the Army fan club on Weverse. Fans who purchase BTS-related merchandise selected by the platform through the Weverse Global shop will also be entered into the draw.
The lottery is expected to run for three days from 11 a.m. on Tuesday until 11:59 p.m. on Friday. Specific details regarding the draw, including which items must be purchased for lottery entry, will also be announced at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.
Many fans are excited for the Gwanghwamun show, as it will be BTS’ first live performance since the members' military enlistment.
However, fan reactions to the lottery system were mixed. Some praised BTS for offering the show for free and for setting strict standards for the lottery system to ensure “only real fans” could watch the show. Others criticized the show, calling it “a free show in disguise,” and saying it was tricking fans into buying more merchandise to increase their chances of winning tickets.
“I think it’s unfair that regular people can attend for free, but actual fans have to buy a product just to enter a lottery,” a BTS fan under the condition of anonymity told The Korea Herald. “We already paid ($17) for the Army membership — asking us to pay more on top of that is basically the same as treating fans like an ATM machine.”
The upcoming concert will invite approximately 34,000 attendees. It will also be livestreamed worldwide on Netflix as the platform’s first-ever live broadcast of a single artist’s concert. The stream will be available in over 190 countries and is expected to gather more than 50 million viewers.
“BTS The City: Arirang Seoul” will also be launched from March 20 to April 12. The city-wide event will feature immersive media installations and pop-ups across Seoul, blending BTS’ music with the Seoul landscape.
lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com
