G-Dragon Concert at Cheomseongdae? A Social Media Hoax
A post claiming that G-Dragon would hold a free concert in front of Cheomseongdae in Gyeongju on October 31st spread rapidly across social media and online communities.
The post, filled with extravagant promises like "A solo performance commemorating the 2025 APEC Summit" and "Drone shows, fireworks displays, and media facades against the backdrop of a UNESCO World Heritage site!", included a registration link, igniting excitement among fans.
Clicking the link led to a suspicious page requesting personal information. Some fans, believing the information, booked KTX tickets in advance to see the performance, resulting in Seoul-Gyeongju KTX tickets selling out on the morning of the 31st.
However, on October 26th, the Gyeongju City government firmly stated on its official social media: "The 'G-Dragon APEC 2025 Cheomseongdae Concert' circulating on cafes and blogs is false information."
"G-Dragon's Cheomseongdae performance is not planned, and any pre-registration or application process is also fake."
Gyeongju City urgently sent official letters to local administrative agencies and organizations, requesting them to prevent the further spread of the false information. However, public reaction was cold.
Online communities were filled with complaints such as, "This post has been circulating for over a month, and they're only announcing it now," "My friend even took a day off to see the concert," and "A large-scale concert in front of Cheomseongdae is impossible in the first place."
The rumor of a 'free concert at Cheomseongdae' spread quickly due to G-Dragon's strong fanbase. Posts with titles like 'APEC 2025 Gyeongju Cheomseongdae Concert Participation Schedule Pre-Registration' appeared on portal sites, falsely claiming that "GD's performance and experience booths are prepared as a cultural program commemorating the summit."
The Cheomseongdae area, mentioned as the concert venue, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Gyeongju, meaning a real concert would have drawn huge crowds. This prompted Gyeongju City to quickly correct the misinformation, concerned about public congestion and safety issues.
Some citizens criticized Gyeongju City's response to the incident, but the city emphasized that there would be no disruptions to the summit schedule.
"Large-scale fireworks displays during the APEC Summit have also been canceled due to security and traffic congestion issues."
"Instead, we are preparing a separate cultural performance for citizens and tourists after the closing ceremony."
Ultimately, no large-scale concerts or performances will be held in the Cheomseongdae area during the summit.
Gyeongju City urged, "Please do not be misled by false information and only check official announcements."
G-Dragon was indeed appointed as the APEC Summit's promotional ambassador in July and participated in the APEC promotional video 'An Incident in the Parking Lot,' produced by Dolphin Yoo-gwae Company, without any guarantee.
He recently received the Order of Cultural Merit at the 16th Korea Popular Culture and Arts Awards, becoming the youngest recipient, once again drawing attention.
However, his next schedule is in Taiwan, not Gyeongju. He is scheduled to hold an encore concert at the Taipei Arena on November 1st and 2nd.
The Cheomseongdae performance on October 31st was completely unfounded.
This incident serves as an example of how easily false information can spread online.
As fans' passion and expectations were exploited, the importance of 'verifying official sources' is being emphasized once again.
Source :https://blog.naver.com/plug_and_play_life
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