The BTS Army, because the band’s hundreds of thousands of followers name themselves, have fought laborious to get the tickets for the live performance on Saturday.
Some 13,000 free tickets have been snapped up immediately when reservations opened final month, a fraction provided that greater than 100,000 individuals had been queuing on-line. Another 7,000 free tickets have been launched later, and likewise offered out inside minutes.
“I tried with both my smartphone and a desktop computer – none of them worked,” says Rachel, who does not describe herself as a BTS fan however “they’re so talented and globally famous that I wanted to take this chance to see them perform live”.
The free tickets have upset some who say it reduces the probabilities of devoted BTS followers securing tickets. Fans have even launched campaigns to discourage resales and forestall “no-shows”.
And others are unnerved by the large crowds swarming to Gwanghwamun Square.
“I know officials will strengthen safety measures, but there will be so many people that I’m still a bit worried,” says Park Su-bin, a wheelchair consumer in her 30s.
She has tickets for the group’s live performance in April, so she determined to skip the Gwanghwamun occasion.
Ami Ostrovskaia initially failed to get a ticket – “I was crying the whole night” – however, thanks to a good friend, the 23-year-old bought fortunate.
“I was so happy and felt like all my problems were gone. This means that I’ll be joining their [full-group] performance after so many years. It’s really meaningful for me.”
Additional reporting by Leehyun Choi and Hosu Lee
