SEVENTEEN’s CARAT LAND Day 1 sees empty seats despite being sold out — here’s why  

Fans question SEVENTEEN ticketing system

SEVENTEEN’s annual fan meeting, SEVENTEEN in CARAT LAND, kicked off on March 20 at Incheon Munhak Main Stadium, bringing together all active members, including Jun, who has been focusing on solo activities in China. While the event was anticipated to be packed with fans, attendees were surprised to see numerous empty seats—despite the tickets being completely sold out in pre-sales.

According to reports, many high-demand seats, including those near the stage, remained vacant, sparking speculation among fans. A viral social media post exposed a flaw in the ticketing system, revealing that previously "sold-out" seats suddenly became available for purchase on the day of the event.

... ... 30 .. pic.twitter.com/BrCrXQ3jnJ

(@bulsichack218) March 19, 2025

10 !! 30 @pledis_17@InterparkTickethttps://t.co/6psOtg8Nrwpic.twitter.com/ZVMiu8hgu9 (@bulsichack218) March 20, 2025

Fans suspect that scalpers hoarded a significant number of tickets, hoping to resell them at inflated prices. However, when they failed to find buyers, they released the tickets at the last moment—too late for genuine fans to repurchase them. South Korea’s ticketing platforms allow partial or full refunds before a deadline, and scalpers often abuse this system, leading to a scenario where a “sold-out” event has visible empty spots.

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While pre-sales and identity verification systems exist to prevent unfair ticket hoarding, resellers continue to manipulate the system, making it difficult for real fans to attend events. Many are calling for stricter regulations, including better tracking of ticket sales and penalties for those repeatedly involved in reselling at high prices.

wtf i canceled going to the korea bcs i couldnt get the ticket even though i already booked my flight and hotel AND NOW YOU TELL ME THAT THERE ARE STILL A LOT OF TICKETS LEFT WTFFFF https://t.co/5ipuMdezn9

nana | mt after dm (@nanasolely) March 19, 2025

Fans are eager to see if Pledis Entertainment will take steps to address the issue.