How to buy K-pop concert tickets for Korea

If you want to see your favorite K-pop acts, you will need a combination of ticketing ability and pure luck. We can’t help you with the latter, but follow these tips to bolster your K-pop ticket-nabbing skills.

Clockwise from top left: BTS, Blackpink, Le Sserafim and Stray Kids perform during their world tours. [YONHAP, YG ENTERTAINMENT, SOURCE MUSIC, JYP ENTERTAINMENT]

If you want to see your favorite K-pop acts in Korea, you will need a combination of ticketing ability and pure luck. We can’t help you with the latter, but follow these tips to bolster your K-pop ticket-nabbing skills.

When it comes to securing K-pop tickets, here is what you need to know.

What are the most popular websites for buying tickets?

There are four major sites:

• Yes24 Ticket • Ticketlink • Interpark Ticket • Melon Ticket

To know which website will be officially selling the tickets for the concert you want to attend, make sure to check the official concert announcement of the artist’s company.

Most of these websites offer global services, so you can also buy tickets in English.

Blackpink at the finale concert for its ″Born Pink″ world tour in September 2023 at the Gocheok Sky Dome indoor arena located in Guro District, western Seoul. [YG ENTERTAINMENT]

How much are K-pop concert tickets? Almost all concert tickets in Korea are between 120,000 won ($87) and 160,000 won. However, somewhat surprisingly, a VIP seat and a third-floor seat usually cost the same.

However, this has changed in recent years, and many concerts divide their tickets into two or three sections with a price difference of around 20,000 won.

One example of this was the Stray Kids’ concert in October. Tickets for the concert were either 110,000 won, 132,000 won or 154,000 won.

There are some concerts that can be more expensive, such as Blackpink, where its September 2023 concerts in Seoul had different prices depending on the seating location, ranging from 121,000 won to 222,000 won.

Girl group Le Sserafim during the group's first world tour, ″Flame Rises,″ in August 2023 held at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium. [SOURCE MUSIC]

How does an official membership help? If you have a membership for a certain group, you can buy tickets during the presale period. This means you have more chances to succeed at buying tickets. But, be warned, the presale period is also very competitive.

Memberships for some of the major K-pop acts include:

• BTS: ARMY • Blackpink: BLINK • Seventeen: CARAT • Stray Kids: STAY • NewJeans: Bunnies • Le Sserafim: FEARNOT • EXO: EXO-L • TWICE: ONCE • ZEROBASEONE: ZEROSE • BOYNEXTDOOR: ONEDOOR • ATEEZ: ATINY • RIIZE: BRIIZE

Riize performs its debut track, ″Get A Guitar,″ at the Blue Square music venue in central Seoul in September 2023. [YONHAP]

What if I miss out on tickets? If you don’t succeed on the day the tickets are released, don’t worry, you still have a chance. You will need to rely on what’s called “chwiketting.”

Chwiketting means buying a ticket someone else didn’t pay for. Each site puts canceled tickets back on sale at different times, and it usually happens after midnight.

Girl group Twice at its fan meet and greet hosted by Lotte Duty Free at Sejong University in Seoul in February 2023. [LOTTE DUTY FREE]

What’s the difference between a K-pop fan meeting, concert and fan concert? A fan meeting is an event where fans can have a more interactive and relaxed encounter with their favorite celebrities. It consists of games and activities with lucky draw events for fans, special performances of a cover or a trendy challenge, with the possibility of an artist showcasing one or two of their own songs. Not only idols but also your favorite actors can hold these events.

Concertsfocus on the performance of the group’s songs. There are talks in between and encore stages that allow some interaction with fans, as well as unit and solo performances from the members. Venues tend to be bigger and the ticket prices higher.

A fan concert is a mixture of a fan meeting and a concert. It has a segment of interactive games like a fan meeting, but the artists perform various songs from their discography. It is like having the best of both worlds.

NewJeans on stage at the “2024 Korea On Stage — New Generation″ event at Gyeongbok Palace's Geunjeongjeon in May 2024. [NEWS1]

I don’t live in Korea. Can I still buy K-pop concert tickets? Ticket websites like Interpark, YES 24, Ticketlink and Melon Ticket have a global version where people who don’t reside in Korea can buy tickets. Keep in mind that if you decide to use the global version of the website, even if you already have an account on the Korean version, you need to create a new one for the global page.

There are companies like SM Entertainment that also offer global packages for international fans. These packages usually include accommodation, transportation from the hotel to the concert venue and the concert ticket. These usually have a different sale period and price from the regular ticket websites and you can buy them through the company’s designated page. You can find SM Entertainment's version of that here.

BTS wrapped up its 14-month-long “Love Yourself” world tour with three concerts at Seoul Olympic Stadium in Jamsil, southern Seoul, in October 2019. [BIG HIT ENTERTAINMENT]

Four aspects to keep in mind before buying K-pop concert tickets Get the official group membership. The presale access to tickets gives you a better chance, as there is less competition and more chances to get a VIP seat.

Most of the time, the best seats sell out during the presale period. Make sure you verify your membership before the presale starts.

Pay attention to the dates because some membership spots open only once a year.

Go to a PC room the day the presale starts. The internet is usually faster in these rooms. Be careful with the time. Use the Navyism clock to the check the exact second that the website's ticket sales start and try to click buy as soon as the sale opens. As buying tickets for a concert in Korea can be competitive, the best place to try your luck is in a PC room, or Korean internet cafe.

Bring other friends to help you. They can help you by using other computers to log in with your account.

If you want to improve your ticketing skills, you can practice by playing games on websites like Navyism.

Be prepared to sit alone. Getting tickets is very competitive and it’s possible that you may only get single seats. You'll find the ticket-buying process very tough if you’re looking to sit together with a group of friends at the concert. So, get ready to become friends with the person sitting next to you on the night.

BY DANIELA GONZALEZ PEREZ [gp.daniela@joongang.co.kr]