“Golden Disc Daesang” Winner SEVENTEEN’s Humiliation: CARATs “Shocked” at Empty Seats at Fan Meeting, Why?
On March 20 and 21, SEVENTEEN held their “2025 SEVENTEEN 9th Fan Meeting <SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND>” at Incheon Munhak Main Stadium. Approximately 58,000 fans attended in person, and fans from 110 countries and regions joined via online live streaming.
However, the issue arose when a significant number of seats were left empty, causing disappointment among fans. Although many wanted to buy tickets, the ticketing site showed the event as sold out, leaving them unable to make a purchase. It turned out that scalpers had hoarded the tickets and tried to resell them at high prices, but when fans refused to buy from them, the seats remained unoccupied. One fan expressed frustration on social media, “This was the first concert, and I don’t know if scalpers released the tickets or held onto them until now, but suddenly a bunch of seats showed up 30 minutes before the ‘no-cancellation’ time. I stayed up all night trying to get tickets and feel exhausted… what was the point?“
Although tickets became available 30 minutes before the no-cancellation time, fans from outside the city couldn’t attend due to train schedules. Scalpers were reportedly reselling tickets originally priced at ₩100,000 for up to ₩1,000,000. Since selling even one at an inflated price could cover the cost of several, scalpers bought in bulk and only needed to sell a few to profit. Meanwhile, real fans couldn’t buy tickets at all.
SEVENTEEN’s fanclub CARATs voiced their anger, “Scalpers are so annoying”, “This happens not only with SEVENTEEN but other concerts too”, “This is absurd”, “I really wanted to go”, “I was glued to my computer all night trying to buy a ticket” and “I wonder if SEVENTEEN knows about this.”
Despite the controversy, SEVENTEEN delivered memorable performances during the fan meeting, showcasing fan-favorite songs like “1 TO 13”, “Eyes on You” and opening with “SOS”. A 20-minute medley stage drew enthusiastic cheers as they performed hits like “Rock With You”, “Clap”, “BOOMBOOM”, “Let Me Hear You Say” and “Still Lonely”.
At the end of the concert, the members expressed their gratitude, “We’re thankful to CARATs who have led us down such a good path. Let’s go together forever. We’re confident SEVENTEEN will always be with you, so we want to believe in eternity. With your support, we’ll run toward it.”
Members Wonwoo, who will start military service on April 3, and Hoshi and Woozi, who are also expected to enlist in the second half of the year, said, “We’re glad we made great memories before leaving. Maybe it’s because it’s time to go, but every stage feels more precious. We’re not disappearing — we’ll come back and work even harder.”
