“We sincerely apologize”: EDAM Entertainment releases statement about the fan who was misrecognized as a fraudulent ticket trader at IU’s concert

On Thursday, April 4, IU’s agency EDAM Entertainment issued a statement apologizing for the misunderstanding that occurred at the idol’s world tour concert, where a fan was mistakenly identified as a fraudulent ticket trader.

At IU’s Seoul concert, EDAM Entertainment contacted a fan and suspected them of being a fraudulent ticket trader. Despite this, the fan provided a series of evidence to prove their innocence in the matter.

Despite the agency’s acceptance of her statement and confirmation that she could enter the venue without problems, she was ultimately denied entry and found her seat occupied by someone else. This resulted in netizens criticizing the entertainment agency for their inadequate management and security measures.

In response to the unfolding incident, EDAM Entertainment has released a statement addressing and apologizing for the situation.

“We sincerely apologize to the fan who experienced inconvenience regarding the response process.”

Additionally, the agency mentioned,

“We are working with our team to create a better plan moving forward. We will do our best to make sure that something like this will not happen again.”

EDAM Entertainment Issues Apology to Fan Denied Entry to IU Concert Due to Misidentification as a Fraudulent Ticket Trader

According to an article by Koreaboo, a fan who purchased a ticket for IU’s solo concert in Seoul on March 9 received a call from EDAM Entertainment. The agency was in the process of identifying and stopping black market ticket sales, and the fan was mistakenly thought to be involved due to their use of a cash deposit through a friend.

Additionally, she elaborated that the issue may have stemmed from her decision to share a screenshot of her ticket on her Instagram story as a way of expressing gratitude to her friend who assisted with the purchase. As a result, she had a suspicion that someone could have potentially misused the ticket information, leading to confusion regarding the rightful owner of the ticket.

Despite facing questioning and providing evidence such as conversations with her friend, her UAENA membership, and ticket reservation text from Melon, etc., the fan persevered and sent the information to the agency. After multiple rounds of questioning, EDAM Entertainment eventually granted the fan access to the venue without any issues. However, upon arrival, she was still denied entry.

Despite occurring on March 9, this occurrence was not made known to the public until April 3. To the surprise of netizens, it was discovered that her seat was not left unoccupied. Those who also attended the concert clarified that the seat was occupied by someone who did not originally buy the ticket.

Despite the disappointment and upset of fans towards IU’s agency, EDAM Entertainment, and their handling of the situation, the agency responded by releasing a statement in response to the backlash. Along with apologizing for the incident, they also made a commitment to improve their actions in the future:

“We will work hard to reach an agreement in order to resolve the matter. We will also do our best regarding the case filed with the Korea Consumer Agency. Additionally, we would like to express our apologies to all the fans who were inconvenienced during the ticketing process.”

The statement went on to say,

“Also, none of our employees or executives received tickets for the show. In order to prevent any misunderstanding, we have all the printed original tickets for the seats. We understand that this is something that cannot be improved in a short period as it takes a lot of careful planning to prevent further damage.”

Despite causing anger among fans, EDAM Entertainment’s acknowledgment and apology for the incident were also welcomed.