"We will continue to monitor and make improvements": IU's agency releases statement apologizing for their ticket sales policies and plans for reform

On Tuesday, April 8, IU's agency EDAM Entertainment released another statement addressing the recent incident where they misrecognized a fan as a fraudulent ticket trader. While the agency previously apologized for its mistake, it released yet another statement apologizing once again while also updating fans and netizens about the reformed policies and regulations for the ticket purchasing system.

The statement explained that EDAM Entertainment's reward policy on illicit ticket trading would be completely abolished and improvements regarding the verification of ticket collection would be strengthened. They explained that a strict identity verification would be conducted with the ticket purchasers. Additionally, improvements regarding IU's official fan club's permanent expulsion policy will also be made.

They concluded their statement by apologizing and promising an improved strategy for ticket purchase and verification.

"Once again, we apologize for the inconvenience caused by our operating policies and the deep wounds inflicted on fans and the artist. We will continue to monitor and make improvements to show our efforts to make betterment."

For those who aren't aware, a fan who purchased a ticket for IU's Seoul was denied entry after being misrecognized as a fraudulent ticket trader.

They were contacted by EDAM Entertainment regarding the issue and underwent several calls of investigation and clarification regarding their identity and ticket purchase. However, they were still misrecognized and the seat was occupied by another person who wasn't the original purchaser.

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EDAM Entertainment, IU's agency, releases a statement apologizing for the recent controversy over its ticket sales policies and promises improvement

After apologizing to fans, netizens, and IU regarding the recent incident that unfolded during the idol's Seoul concert, they moved on to explain the reforms they had planned. They've introduced three new changes in their ticket policies that will be followed henceforth for the K-pop soloist, IU's concerts as of April 9. They are quoted below.

Here's what the statement read:

"1. Abolishment of the reward policy on illicit ticket trading: We will completely abolish the “reward policy” for the “illicit ticket trading”. Moreover, we will strengthen our internal monitoring team for cases of illicit trading and premium ticket reservations. In an incident where a verification procedure is required, instead of the previous excessive verification process, we will improve it through the following steps."

The three steps include:

• Cases, where there is no financial transaction involved in ticket reservations (e.g., attempts of proxy reservations between family members and acquaintances), will not be considered illicit trading.
• Before the ticket reservations for domestic concerts are open in the future, the agency will provide the verification guidelines in the “Policy on Illicit Ticket Trading Announcement” through all official channels and ticketing sites.
• Simplification of the verification process according to the revised guidelines and ensure that fans do not feel any psychological burden due to unspecific verification period demands.

The second change regarding their ticket policy addresses the identity verification process.

"2. Identity verification process for ticket collection: For individuals who find it difficult to verify their identity with an ID card, we will implement measures to allow ticket collection after verifying their immediate family relationship through a family relationship certificate or a resident registration certificate. For new passports, we will maintain the current practice of being able to verify identity without a passport certificate."

The third implementation revolved around the policies for IU's official fan club.

"3. Improvement of the permanent expulsion policy in the official fan club: Starting from now, the official fan club’s expulsion policy will be operated as “penalties" instead of “permanent expulsion.”As the expulsion criteria have changed due to the improvement of the premium trading and illicit ticketing policy, we will release all those who were previously subject to permanent expulsion from the IU Official Fan Club as of today."

While the permanent expulsion has been replaced with penalties, leading to many people being excluded from these issues, those who've threatened the artists' rights are not included in the list.

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Fan allegedly denied entry to IU's Seoul concert after being misrecognized as a fraudulent ticket trader

For IU's March 9 concert that took place in Seoul, a fan had booked tickets, and they used the help of a friend to book the ticket through cash deposit since it's the fastest way to purchase a ticket. After bagging the tickets, they posted about the same with a screenshot of ticket information being partially revealed on their Instagram story, while also thanking the friend who helped with the purchase.

However, they were soon contacted by EDAM Entertainment when they were trying to track down black market sellers. The fan had to go through various forms of verification and also sent several pieces of evidence to prove that they were the original purchaser. Following the same, the fan was told to come down to the concert venue on the day of the event, promising that the verification was confirmed.

When the fan tried to enter IU's concert venue, they were denied entry. The fellow attendees of the concert also confirmed that their seat was occupied by another person. This led to people criticizing EDAM Entertainment's ticket sales policies and poor verification procedures. While the agency apologized for the incident on April 4, they released another statement on April 9 expressing their changed ticket sales policies.

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Following their strict implementation of the ticket sale policies, netizens hope that less illegal trading unfolds with respect to their K-pop concerts.