SEOUL, South Korea (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — Korean boy band TVXQ's performance in Seoul on February 23rd came with a free dose of grief for concert-goers. As 8,000 ticket-holders entered the Olympic Gymnastics Stadium where the concert was held, they were directed to leave their digital cameras and cell phones in one of three designated booths for the duration of the performance, an article in the Korean Times reported. Concert organizers S.M. Entertainment, were hoping to deter amateur shutterbugs from taking photos or videos of the performance.
The problem with this plan was made clear at the end of the event when thousands of fans, mostly teen-aged girls went to claim their gadgets and discovered that there was no orderly system to facilitate this process, causing delays that led to some fans waiting until after 3 AM to escape with their cell phones.
Despite the seemingly poorly-planned camera issue, the concert was a sell-out success as TVXQ kicked off their second tour. Their tour will take them to Beijing, Shanghai, China, Taipei, Taiwan Hong Kong; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Japan and Malaysia this year. Their latest album "Five in the Black" next month. – CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
