(SM Entertainment)
Tickets for the SMTown Live World Tour III in Central Jakarta had only been on sale for two hours on Friday when police told organizers to halt the sales, resulting in the disappointment of fans who had queued from the early hours.
SMTown’s World Tour, which will be held in Jakarta on Sept. 22, will feature major Korean artists, including Super Junior, Girls’ Generation and Shinee.
Tanah Abang Police precinct chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Suyudi AS stated that sales, which were being conducted at the fountain of Grand Indonesia, had not obtained a permit and thus must be halted.
“The event has not obtained a permit. All of you please disperse,” he told hundreds of fans.
Suyudi said that the permit was required given that the event involved a large sum of people.
“We’re talking about people’s safety. If the organizer has the permit, police can help to ensure safety,” he said.
Ticket sales organizer Myticket then closed down the booths, while tens of police officers guarded the venue.
As of 2 p.m., the organizer had yet to resume sales, but fans remained in line.
One of the would-be buyers, Nursiam from Palmerah, West Jakarta, said that she came to the venue at 6 a.m., along with her two children, but had not yet obtained any tickets.
“We are about to buy two Tribune class tickets priced at Rp 1.1 million each. When we were still in the middle the queue, they halted the sales. It’s confusing,” she told The Jakarta Post Digital.
The event organizer has not yet released a statement, but an event official said that the halt was “just a coffee break.”
In addition to sales at Grand Indonesia, SMTown tickets are being sold at the Sands Ballroom in Mangga Dua Square, North Jakarta.
Each venue serves 3,600 people, where each person can procure up to four tickets.
The booths were slated to open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. (yps/iwa)
