The festival featuring singer G-Dragon has halted sales of its ₩8.8 million (approximately $6,500 USD) ticket price after sparking controversy.
Recently, “Madly Medley” announced that its 1% tier tickets would cost ₩8.8 million. The price tag, for the VVIP tickets to the festival taking place on October 18th and 19th at Paradise City in Incheon, quickly drew attention. General 1-day tickets for “Madly Medley” were priced at ₩118,000, 2-day tickets at ₩148,000, and VIP 2-day tickets at ₩248,000. In contrast, the 1% 2-day ticket was priced at ₩8.8 million, 40 times the price of the VIP ticket.
The organizers explained that those who purchased the 1% tickets would receive various “VIP benefits.” As G-Dragon was announced as a headliner for the event, expectations were high for perks like after-parties, but the exorbitant ticket price led to widespread debate. As a result, “Madly Medley” announced the suspension of sales for the ticket on the 15th.
The organizers stated, “We deeply sympathize with the concerns and criticisms raised by many regarding the 1% TICKET. We sincerely apologize for the confusion and inconvenience caused by insufficient information and a lack of meticulous preparation.” They continued, “This ticket was designed as a premium ticket to provide a new audience experience and was a tier we were preparing to introduce, offering benefits and services operated at numerous overseas festivals. However, specific benefits corresponding to the ticket price were not adequately informed, leading to several misunderstandings, and we humbly apologize for this.”
They added, “We will thoroughly review this ticket tier and re-announce it in the future. Currently, the 1% TICKET has been suspended from all booking sites, and full refunds will be processed for existing purchasers through individual notice.”
The lineup for the festival includes G-Dragon, Kim Chang-wan Band, Esens, C Jamm, All Day Project, Kim Kwang-jin, Sik-K, and QWER.
Written by Kim Mi Hwa
Translated by Lee So Yun
