A viral video of a fan's brief meet and greet with IVE at KCON USA in Los Angeles over this past weekend has sparked a heated discussion online.
The clip, posted on TikTok and Instagram with the caption, "Just waving goodbye to my $110 for 6 seconds with IVE at KCON USA," shows the fan walking past the members who are waving their hands goodbye.
@shootzwego Just waving goodbye to my $110 for 6 seconds with @IVE.official at @kconusa #kconla #kconla2025 #ive #meetandgreet #ivewonyoung #iverei #iveleeseo #iveyujin #iveliz #ivegaeul ♬ original sound - Brad 🤙
The video quickly went viral, racking up hundreds of comments from K-pop fans questioning the value of such short interactions.
One commenter wrote, "$110 just to walk by," while another added, "They look like they don't want to be there." Other K-pop fans further criticized the event with comments including, "You can do this for free at the airport," "That's not a meet and greet, that was a meet and go lol," ".... just to walk by? You guys, come on now" and "$110 for a drive by is criminal."
The backlash also included comparisons to past KCON meet and greets. Several fans commented that in the past, fans were able to have a moment to speak with the idols. They commented, "Kcon has gotten worse / not with the money anymore, ever since Kcon 2019. I still remember being able to hold hands with the members during hi-touch and getting a few seconds to say something to each member. TWICE and IZONE were my favorite moments," and "I can’t imagine paying for something like this, and not even having a memory to take home with you."
More K-pop fans joined the conversation and further criticized the rising cost and shrinking experiences of K-pop convention perks, particularly for international fans. They commented, "That’s just a sad use of money," "The Asia-based fans get to interact, and the international fans get a wave-by when we’re the ones whose money they want," "110!?!??! Awesome for you, but I’d rather save my money to see them next time they tour lol" "I’ll never understand how you guys pay so much for a 5-10 second interaction like maybe 20 bucks i could understand but over a 100??" and "110?! Naw uh I’m putting Gaeul in my pocket before I’m leaving."
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