Organiser denies claims of Chinese-only language G-Dragon shows
Concert organiser Star Planet has denied allegations that signage and announcements at the G-Dragon concert in Kuala Lumpur were predominantly in Chinese, following backlash from local fans on social media.
In a statement released by the company, its chief operating officer Carmen Liew clarified that it is inaccurate to state that signage and announcements were predominantly in Chinese, noting that all international events use bilingual materials in both English and Chinese.
"For the G-Dragon concert in particular, live announcements were also made in Bahasa Malaysia and essential notices were likewise available in Bahasa Malaysia,' the organiser told Sinar Daily.
The company added that it has taken note of public feedback and will consider incorporating more Bahasa Malaysia in future events involving K-pop or local artistes.
"That said, we've noted the feedback and will certainly consider incorporating even more Bahasa Malaysia for future K-pop or Malay artist events," she added.
The G-Dragon concert, part of the K-pop star's highly anticipated world tour, took place at Axiata Arena, Bukit Jalil, on July 19 and 20.
Social media users had voiced frustration over the high number of attendees from mainland China and alleged that Malaysian fans were sidelined.
Another point of criticism involved ticket scalping, with fans accusing the organiser of insider ticket sales to buyers in China.
One viral post alleged that all VVIP, VIP and Cat 1 tickets were snapped up by agents and resold at inflated prices, while genuine fans were left with limited options or forced to buy at mark-ups.
Fans also raised concerns that the ticketing system lacked security, with no codes required during the fan club presale, making it vulnerable to bots.
Some users also claimed their tickets were cancelled over suspicious activity, while scalper tickets remained valid. Accusations were also made that tickets under the "FAM" category were distributed through insider networks linked to the organiser.
Star Planet again has firmly denied the claims. They said the allegations of ticket scalping are entirely baseless and without any supporting evidence.
"We want to firmly reiterate that Star Planet had no involvement in any insider ticket sales for the G-Dragon tour.
"It is also important to note that all ticketing activities or actions for a world tour of this scale are conducted under close oversight and require coordination and approval from multiple parties, including the tour's official management," said Liew.
The company added that ticketing activities for international tours require oversight and approval from multiple parties, including the tour's official management, to ensure transparency and compliance with global standards.
Addressing one specific case that went viral, the company said a ticket was voided due to suspicious activity but reinstated after verification.
Star Planet acknowledged the global problem of scalping and said it is working with its ticketing partner to improve bot-filtering systems for future events.
"We fully understand the frustration and disappointment experienced by fans who were unable to secure tickets for this highly anticipated event.
"Scalping remains a widespread issue globally and presents an ongoing challenge for event organisers.
"To address this, we are in active discussions with our ticketing partner to explore and implement more advanced bot-filtering solutions aimed at minimising scalper activity and ensuring fairer access for genuine fans for upcoming shows," she said. – Sinar Daily
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