Your Ultimate K-pop Guide in Seoul: Concerts, pop-ups, ticketing and more!

There are a few reasons I wanted to study abroad in South Korea: food, culture, movies, shows, etc. but one of the main reasons I wanted to study abroad in South Korea was K-pop. During my time here I have realized that K-pop was the reason or at least part of the reason people wanted to study abroad in Korea. If you are a K-pop fan and are studying or traveling to  Seoul, then you are in luck! This city is the epicenter of K-pop, there are tons of pop-up stores, events, exhibitions, and of course concerts. So far  I had the opportunity to go to multiple K-pop concerts in the city, Day6, Zerobaseone, Ateez, and Seventeen. 

Ticketing: 

In Korea, I have only done ticketing through two sites: Global Interpark and Yes24. These two sites are the most commonly used, especially for K-pop. Most of the groups that you can find on Weverse use the ticketing site Global Interpark and other companies like JYP and KQ Entertainment use Yes24. Both sites operate very similarly but there are a few things to look out for. 

If you are a foreigner, use Global Interpark, make sure that you are using the global site and not the Korean site because you will run into a few issues. On the Korean Interpark site, the whole website is in Hangul, you will also need to have a Korean credit card for purchases on that site as well, overall it is not foreigner-friendly. Global Interpark works just as well, you will have to go through an identity verification once you make an account. For the Seventeen concert, it is very competitive and I have a membership on Weverse so I had to go through a membership verification for the pre-ticketing. When you are doing pre-ticketing (or any ticketing) on Global Interpark, make sure that your window pop-ups are not blocked, your VPNs are turned off, and that you are in a good wifi spot. As soon as the ticketing opened I entered the queue with 300,000 people in front of me. Yes, you read that right 300,000 people! Once you are redirected to the ticketing site you will have to go through section by section to find a seat. This is the same on Yes24 as well. 

The ticketing sites on both Global Interpark and Yes24 are very tedious and there are many pop-ups. So be aware that there will be a pop-up for the queue, one for the seat selection, and finally one for payment. Stay calm and I wish you the best of luck with your ticketing endeavors, whether it is pre-sale or not. 

Concert and Filming policies:  

Once you have successfully made your ticket reservation it is time for the concert! Depending on the artist there may be lots of things to do around the venue, but the first task is to pick up your ticket. When you make a ticket purchase in South Korea your email confirmation will say digital ticket or pick up at ‘Will Call.’  This means that there is a booth at the venue where you will need to go and show your email confirmation and your passport to collect your concert ticket. So don’t forget your passport! 

Now that you have successfully collected your ticket, gotten your iconic photo in front of the KSPO Dome, and got a snack in you, it is finally time to make your way into the venue! I would suggest entering the venue 45 min to an hour before the concert just to make sure that you are in the right seat and all situated for an amazing concert. In Korea, the venues are pretty small compared to the venues I have visited in the US so that is why I like to get into the venue and find my seat, once the arena is full it can be difficult to find your seat in the venue. 

There has been some talk about filming in venues in Asia, Korea, and Japan specifically and I am here to ease your mind. In Korea, I have been able to film and record at every concert I have been to. However, in Japan, you are unable to film or they will tell you to delete all videos and take you out of the venue. Just be cautious in the venues and make sure to double-check with staff if the concert policy is unclear! 

Pop-Up Events and Exhibitions: 

Seoul has a lot to offer from cute cafes, yummy restaurants, and even K-pop pop-up stores and exhibitions. I have had the opportunity to go to two exhibitions, Seventeen and JungKook for these exhibitions I purchased my ticket on Global Interpark. At these exhibitions, there are a lot of photo spots and there is usually a shop and merchandise at the end. So take a look online for the Hybe Insite Exhibitions to see if there is one going on during your stay in the city. 

Pop-up events are a little more difficult to find compared to exhibitions. However, if you have specific groups that you follow on social media then you will be able to find them. My go-to spots are Twitter (X), Instagram, and Weverse. Most of the companies and groups will post a notice about upcoming events in the city. Pop-up stores are often free but sometimes you would need to make a reservation through the host’s site or Global Catch Table. 

There is so much to do in this amazing city and there is something to do for every type of K-pop fan out there. So pick up your phone, grab your friend, a photo of your bias, and get out there and explore!