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Music

Hallyu North organizers face backlash

Fans of South Korean pop music were elated when organizers of K-pop convention Hallyu North announced the Toronto debut of wildly popular boy band Shinee. 

But those good feelings were short-lived for at least 351 fans who ended up joining a Facebook group for disgruntled attendees demanding refunds after the show at the Enercare Centre on May 6.

In posts on the event’s Facebook page and in tweets, fans complained that Shinee played for only 20 minutes – many were expecting an hour – and a promised Asian food festival turned out to be a couple of food trucks.

“While I understand first-time con problems, it’s pretty clear they were unable to deliver what they had promised,” one fan wrote in a Facebook post. “The con itself was disappointing. It took all of three minutes to walk through, [and] only having one food truck inside and one outside was ridiculous.

“It was like being in an airport hangar,” she added. “These boys sell out stadiums across Asia, and they get the most depressing stage for their first time in Canada.”

In a statement sent to CBC News, Hallyu North Entertainment said it is dealing with a “small number of complaints.”

“We want to thank these fans for their feedback,” the statement read. “We acknowledge that first-year expositions are not without their difficulties and we are certainly no exception.

“We’re currently working on a variety of solutions for fans that were not satisfied and we intend to handle these fans’ concerns both fairly and promptly.”

music@nowtoronto.com | @nowtoronto

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