HYBE’s Controversial Event Weverse Con 2024 Criticized as a Historical Nuisance Festival by Korean Media

HYBE’s Controversial Event Weverse Con 2024 Criticized as a Historical Nuisance Festival by Korean Media

Previously, HYBE had announced that they would use a combination of Weverse and their own technology to merge popular culture and technology, positioning Weverse Con Festival as a platform for innovation that introduces new and exciting entertainment elements.

Despite this, the responses from on-site fans varied, and Korean media outlet SWAY has highlighted the controversies that arose over the course of two days.

Safety Negligence

weversecon

Despite the expensive ticket prices ranging from 110,000 to 170,000 KRW, HYBE’s “Weverse Con”faced criticism for neglecting safety measures and not taking fans into consideration.

As soon as fans entered the venue, they were met with confusion as both the prioritized and general lines merged, resulting in a chaotic rush of fans. As a result, fences were knocked down and screams erupted from the crowd.

Despite this, HYBE proceeded with the performance without offering an apology. As the show was about to begin, fans were unable to enter, resulting in the festival being remembered as a significant inconvenience.

2. Controversial Appearance of Right-Wing Singer YOASOBI

yoasobi weversecon

In 2019, YOASOBI made their debut with their first single “Racing into the Night.”The band is composed of producer Ayase and singer-songwriter Ikuta.

Despite sparking domestic controversy for allegedly romanticizing Japanese colonialism, YOASOBI’s newest song, “Taisho Romance,”is based on the Taisho era (1912-1926) in Japan, which is often viewed nostalgically by some.

Despite the fact that Korea was a Japanese colony during the Taisho era and Koreans endured atrocities during this time, YOASOBI’s appearance at Weverse Con sparked mixed reactions due to the controversy surrounding it.

3. Park Jin-young and Bang Si-hyuk’s Unwanted Collaboration

park jin young bang si hyuk

On June 16, a special collaboration stage took place with JYP head Park Jin-young and HYBE chairman Bang Si-hyuk.

Overall, the fan reactions were varied, with some showing their support by cheering during the songs, while others made their disapproval clear by gesturing thumbs-down.

Some fans were so dissatisfied with the performance that they began to boo. On various SNS platforms, including X (formerly Twitter), posts questioning why the performance was held and expressing frustration over spending money to see two older men perform also emerged.

The sources for this information are SWAY and theqoo.

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