In front of the concert at Seoul World Cup Stadium, fans of singer IU expressed discomfort, as the city of Seoul announced that starting next year, cultural events at the stadium will exclude the sale of ground seats due to grass protection concerns, creating an impression that the damage to the grass was IU’s fault. The absence of large concert venues in Seoul has raised dissatisfaction among K-pop and sports fans. Despite calls for solutions to promote cooperation between the sports and entertainment industries, the “IU incident” related to grass issues continues to remain unresolved.
In the industry, there is a lament about the atmosphere where artists are seen as sinners. Even though every step of the venue rental process, from stage setup to dismantling, prioritizes ground protection, artists still face criticism as “grass destroyers.” The artist management follows grass protection manuals and cooperates to the best of their ability, but working in an environment where the venue rental party holds absolute power makes the process challenging. On the other hand, from the stadium’s perspective, cultural events are not a priority, necessitating meticulous management. It seems to be a problem that cannot be structurally resolved.
As a result, the concert organizers had to prepare additional alternatives to avoid criticism. For instance, singer Lim Young-woong removed ground seats altogether and set up a protruding stage surrounding the stadium. Although the layout was inefficient, with artists having to move around the outer stage, it was a choice made to endure inconvenience.
Similarly, IU divided the main stage and the protruding stage without a bridge, but laid seats on the ground. Her agency, EDAM Entertainment, emphasized that they strictly adhere to the grass usage manual received in advance, provide thorough training for all staff on precautions and codes of conduct, and promptly conduct seat arrangements and dismantling after Sunday performances. They even sent out messages to ticket holders, requesting them to refrain from wearing shoes with heels that could potentially damage the grass.
Furthermore, outdoor stadiums face noise issues, as seen during Seventeen’s concert rehearsal at the stadium in April. To address this, Lim Young-woong conducted rehearsals at a location similar to the World Cup Stadium and even distributed watermelons to nearby residents to seek their understanding. IU also gifted trash bags to residents in the stadium area while seeking their understanding.
The industry emphasizes the need to address the fundamental issue of the lack of concert venues. With major venues like Jamsil Baseball Stadium unavailable for concerts until its remodeling is completed in 2027-2031, alternative locations in Gyeonggi and Incheon are emerging. Concerts by Seventeen and Coldplay are scheduled at the Goyang Sports Complex, highlighting the challenges of limited venues for large-scale events in Seoul.
As overseas artists bypass Korea in their global tours and K-pop idols’ domestic stage activities decline, the economic impact is diminishing. The ongoing venue competition may lead to social issues such as ticket price hikes and scalping. There is a pressing need for temporary concert venues in Seoul and the metropolitan area. The chairman of the Korea Popular Music Industry Association stresses the urgency of forming a unified task force involving the government, Seoul city, sports, and culture sectors to address these issues.