Melon Ticket offers full refunds to upcoming Kim Ho-joong concert

Local ticketing platform Melon Ticket announced Wednesday that it will offer full refunds to the upcoming "World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-joong and Prima-donna" concert in light of Kim Ho-joong's drunk hit-and-run.

Trot singer Kim Ho-joong expresses his feelings after winning the main award at the 32nd Seoul Music Awards held at southern Seoul's KSPO Dome on May 19, 2023. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Local ticketing platform Melon Ticket announced Wednesday that it will offer full refunds to the upcoming "World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-joong and Prima-donna" concert, following news that the featured singer, Kim Ho-joong, was involved in a recent drunk hit-and-run.

Kim was accused of driving into a taxi while under the influence on May 9 in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. After falsely blaming his manager, he subsequently turned himself in, and on Sunday, also admitted to the DUI charges.

Kim will still be performing at the "World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-joong and Prima-donna," a collaborative concert by the active members of the Vienna Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) slated for Thursday and Friday at KSPO Dome in Songpa District, southern Seoul. Kim is set to perform with sopranos Aida Garifullina on Thursday and Larisa Martinez on Friday.

Kim's concert in KSPO Dome, titled “World Union Orchestra Super Classic: Kim Ho-joong and Prima-donna,” is no longer organized by KBS. [KBS]

The concert’s organizer, Dumir, said on Monday it was "difficult to find a replacement."

Originally, the cancellation fee was 30 percent of the ticket price. Cancellation fees will be charged if the reservation is canceled by the buyer directly, so the buyer must contact the customer center to request the cancellation in order to receive a full refund of their ticket.

The refund fees will be paid for by Kim’s agency, Think Entertainment, according to the concert organizer. The agency also decided to not be paid any guarantees, including compensation for Kim’s appearance.

Melon will waive the refund fee for Kim's concert, which was to be held at southern Seoul’s KSPO Dome on Thursday and Friday. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Kim has been performing in a slew of concerts this year. The total revenue of the concerts, including ones in Changwon, South Gyeongsang on Saturday and Sunday, and Goyang, Gyeonggi on May 11 and 12, are estimated to be more than 5 billion won ($3,665,200), according to JoongAng Ilbo, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily.

KBS, which had been listed as the host of the concert, withdrew its name from the concert's poster and took measures to ban further use of its name and logo for the promotion of the concert. KBS previously requested Dumir to either replace Kim or have its name removed from the concert's promotion by Monday. Dumir has not responded to KBS as of Tuesday.

Kim Ho-joong's concert in Gimcheon, North Gyeongsang, part of his 2024 “Tvarrotti Classic Arena Tour,” is also under pressure of cancellation. SBS Medianet, co-host of the concert, informed the organizers that it would not participate in the concert. If canceled, the refund commission for the tickets alone could amount to billions of won.

Kim was accused of driving into a taxi on May 9 at 11:49 p.m. in Gangnam District, southern Seoul. He drove away after the collision and was allegedly intoxicated. [JOONGANG ILBO]

Police are considering applying for an arrest warrant, judging that Kim and his agency systematically participated in concealing the case, through methods including the destruction of evidence.

Police applied for a travel ban on Kim and four other people on Tuesday, including the CEO of Kim’s agency.

At 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Kim turned himself in to the police, according to his agency. "Kim's attorney will answer all questions after the investigation for the day is over, which is expected to be around 5 p.m.," it said.

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [kim.minyoung5@joongang.co.kr]