Exo ticket crackdown reignites debate over Korea-first K-pop presales

Exo performs "Love Shot" during its "Exo Planet #6 - Exhorizon [dot]" concert in Manila, Philippines, at SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 4 and 5. (SM Entertainment)

SM Entertainment’s aggressive response to suspected fraudulent ticket purchases for Exo’s upcoming encore concerts has reignited a broader debate over K-pop’s growing use of domestic-first ticket presales, with overseas fans questioning whether measures intended to curb scalping are unfairly limiting their access to concerts in Korea.

On Wednesday evening, the agency said it had identified multiple bookings suspected of having been made through “abnormal methods” during the fan club presale for “Exo Planet #6 – Exhorizon [dot],” which opened through Melon Ticket’s domestic reservation page on Aug. 27.

Under measures announced by SM, tickets identified as fraudulent will be canceled and fully refunded without individual notice. Accounts used to make the bookings will be blocked from making further reservations.

The canceled seats will be released again on Sept. 16, but only to fan club members who completed presale verification through the domestic page. Payment will also be restricted to cards issued in Korea, with overseas-issued cards and bank transfers prohibited.

The move marks an unusually stringent response by a K-pop agency to suspected irregular ticket purchases and comes days after fans called for action over scalping. Tickets reportedly sold out almost immediately during the initial presale, while screenshots of tickets being offered for resale at inflated prices circulated widely on X.

Exo performs "Power" during its "Exo Planet #6 - Exhorizon [dot]" concert in Manila, Philippines, at SM Mall of Asia Arena on July 4 and 5. (SM Entertainment)

Many Korean Exo fans welcomed SM’s intervention amid longstanding frustration over automated purchases, proxy ticketing and scalping. The decision to restrict payment for the rereleased seats to Korea-issued cards, however, has drawn criticism from international fans, renewing debate over ticketing policies that give Korea-based fans earlier access to concerts held in the country.

“Canceling tickets obtained through suspected fraudulent methods can be seen as justified, but scalpers exist on both domestic and global ticketing platforms. Restricting access by region doesn’t address the underlying problem,” an Exo fan wrote on X. “The affected seats should be made available for purchase to all to ensure fairness.”

Others pointed to what they see as an imbalance between Korean and overseas tour stops.

“International fans don’t receive priority over Korean fans when K-pop acts hold concerts in their countries,” a Canadian fan told The Korea Herald on condition of anonymity. “Scalping is bad, but if Exo goes to the US for a concert, for example, US fans should get priority to book seats by this logic.”

A screenshot of a ticket presale notice for Exo's “Exo Planet #6 - Exhorizon [dot]” encore concert at Seoul (Melon Ticket)

The controversy comes as domestic-first presales are becoming increasingly common in K-pop. Under the system, fans using Korean ticketing platforms are given access before those using global reservation pages. Domestic pages generally require additional local verification, such as identity authentication through a Korean phone number, effectively limiting access to those able to use Korea-based ticketing accounts.

Enhypen was among the acts to introduce the system for its Seoul concerts earlier this year, followed by other Hybe artists including Le Sserafim and Cortis. SM has since adopted similar systems for concerts by Red Velvet, Aespa and NCT 127, while JYP Entertainment introduced separate domestic and global fan club presales for Stray Kids’ Seoul concerts.

Supporters argue that the system gives local fans a better chance of securing tickets to concerts in their own market, particularly when a group may hold only a handful of shows in Seoul while visiting multiple cities in one country on overseas tours. Others argue that overseas fans who pay the same fees to join official fan clubs should not receive later access solely because of where they live or which ticketing platform they can use.

The debate is unfolding as Korea tightens its legal response to ticket scalping.

Revisions to the Public Performance Act and National Sports Promotion Act that took effect Aug. 28 expanded restrictions beyond transactions involving macro programs to cover habitual or commercial resale at inflated prices. Authorities can impose financial penalties of up to 50 times the illegal resale amount, while ticketing companies and platforms face greater responsibilities to prevent illicit transactions.

lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com