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| Some EXO fans are upset at BBQ for its "misleading" marketing. Yonhap |
By Dong Sun-hwa
Chicken franchise company BBQ has infuriated some fans of K-pop boy band EXO over what they say is misleading advertising for a "super concert" on Sunday.
Several fans spent millions of won buying chicken to get coupons for concert seats after receiving a text message that reads: "Let's eat chicken and enjoy the concert ― EXO is confirmed to be on the stage." But EXO is not performing.
The "BBQ & SBS SUPER CONCERT" on Oct. 14 at Suwon World Cup Stadium is expected to attract an audience of 37,000. The company has been enthusiastic about advertising the event for months, saying it will invite "top K-pop artists."
After reading the text message, many fans believed the boy band would perform and began ordering BBQ chickens to get seats. One even claimed she spent about 1.5 million won ($1,300) on chicken to increase the likelihood of meeting EXO, which has not performed as a team since 2017.
But when the final line-up was disclosed, these fans were enraged because EXO was not on the roster, which included Wanna One, BLACKPINK and Red Velvet.
They say BBQ has deceived them and some are threatening to take the case to the Korea Consumer Agency.
"The head office did not say that the group will be on the stage," a BBQ spokesman told Kookmin Ilbo Tuesday. "The text message was sent by some franchises ― we gave them a warning."
EXO debuted in 2012 and will return on Nov. 2 with its fifth studio album, "Don't Mess Up My Tempo."
