AKMU [AKMU official social media]
AKMU [AKMU official social media]

Some audience members at AKMU's Gangneung concert are speaking out after paying 176,000 won ($131) for VIP seats, only to find they could barely see the stage or the screens.

The K-pop duo held their "2026 AKMU Concert: Rumored Paradise" at the Speed Skating Arena in Gangneung, Gangwon Province, on Saturday. After the show, a wave of critical reviews appeared online, with attendees citing poor sightlines and sound issues in certain sections.

The main complaint centered on the floor VIP section, where chairs were placed directly on the arena floor with no tiered elevation between rows. Audience members said the flat layout meant that anyone seated behind another person was blocked from seeing not only the stage but also the large screens.

One attendee posted photos taken at the venue and said the experience amounted to "trying out the obstructed-view seats in Floor 6 VIP." Another said, "It was a VIP seat, but I couldn't see the stage at all — and once people stood up, the screens were blocked too. The flat seating felt like being on a Seoul Metro Line 9 subway car."

A concertgoer who had traveled from Seoul to Gangneung for the show said, "I paid 170,000 won and spent the whole time staring at the back of someone's head and watching the performers move around the stage." Others claimed that some audience members gave up and left less than an hour into the performance.

The concert was directed by AKMU member Lee Chan-hyuk. Earlier episodes of the MBC program "Jeonjijeojeok Chamgyeon Sijeom" had shown him leading production meetings and overseeing rehearsals.

On the show, Lee was seen wrestling with stage design decisions and pitching a range of ideas — including unexpected elements such as a tent and a lion — that had built anticipation for the concert.

At a rehearsal held two days before the show, he personally checked details ranging from the placement of rocks on stage to dancers' costumes and small props. Footage also showed him carefully reviewing sightlines to ensure audiences in every part of the venue could stay immersed in the performance.

The controversy has since spread concern among ticket holders for upcoming shows. Having completed the Seoul and Gangneung dates, AKMU is scheduled to perform in Busan, Daejeon, Daegu and Gwangju. One person who had already bought a ticket for the Daejeon concert wrote online, "I'm seriously debating whether to cancel."

Meanwhile, AKMU's Seoul concerts had drawn widespread praise for their stage design and production. The group also drew positive attention after it emerged that free tickets had been offered to underprivileged audience members. The Gangneung backlash, however, has kept the controversy alive, with even high-paying VIP ticket holders among those expressing dissatisfaction.

As of Monday morning, AKMU's management had not issued any official statement addressing the complaints.


min3654@heraldcorp.com