[Ariana Grande's Instagram]
As an online controversy intensified over American pop-star Ariana Grande's performance in Seoul, concert organizers issued a rare apology to fans for causing inconveniences.
Hyundai Card admitted that the inconveniences were caused by a mix of unexpected situations -- Grande's personal reasons and bad weather. "We wish to make a sincere apology to those who felt inconvenienced at Ariana Grande's concert on August 15," the credit card company said through a Facebook post.
Fans have criticized Grande's "insincere" attitude during her quick trip to Seoul and the alleged clumsy operation of organizers for causing chaos among audiences. Fans got over the fact that the world famous pop-star skipped a rehearsal.
The 24-year-old arrived in Seoul just three hours before the big event and came about 30 minutes late to a baseball stadium for her concert. She drew a flurry of angry criticism from South Korean fans for her short video clip of singing inside a bathroom at a Seoul hospital about an hour before her concert.
Also, fans were in chaos at Gocheok Stadium because organizers refused to let in people with VIP tickets for no actual reason when the pop star came late.
VIP ticket holders claimed they had been allowed to gain early entry for a "meet and greet" session with Grande. But there were no benefits because they had to enter the stadium with other standing ticker holders, according to "Unnamed Deok", a user from South Korea's online community called "Theqoo".
Originally, Hyundai Card insisted it was not responsible because VIP tickets were through Grande's fan website. However, the company expressed sorry in its statement Thursday and pledged a refund program.
In a Facebook post, Hyundai Card vice chairman Chung Tae-young expressed regret at Grande's attitude before and after her concert, suggesting she should have shown her brave heart as she presented at her Manchester concert if she felt uneasy at a tense political situation on the Koran peninsula. "Or it would have been better to cancel the concert."
Chung said fans could feel disappointed if they had expected "sharing" rather than a simple two-hour show.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
