SM Entertainment and HYBE have released statements cautioning fans against what they say is an unauthorised concert tour of Asia that advertised performances by K-pop acts NCT Dream, WayV, SEVENTEEN and ENHYPEN.
On Friday (February 3), a concert organiser called Hwang Entertainment announced plans for the Fest World Tour, a tour it said would bring boy groups NCT Dream, WayV, SEVENTEEN, ENHYPEN and Mirae to several countries in Asia from October to December 2023.
According to a teaser posted to the organiser’s now-deleted social media platforms, the Fest World Tour was set to land in Indonesia, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, with additional stops to be announced.
Several hours after the announcement, however, SM Entertainment’s Thai subsidiary SM True made an announcement on social media calling the information presented by the organiser “misleading and incorrect” and stating that NCT Dream and WayV would not be participating in the event.
[ประกาศ] เรื่อง การเข้าร่วมงานของศิลปิน NCT DREAM และ WayV ในงานที่ประเทศอินโดนีเซีย, เกาหลี, มาเลเซีย…
Posted by SM True on Friday, February 3, 2023
HYBE sub-labels Pledis Entertainment and Belift Lab also cautioned fans against the tour through announcements on Weverse a day after (February 4). Pledis Entertainment alleged Fest World Tour was an “unlicensed tour infringing [on] SEVENTEEN’s intellectual property” and announced that SEVENTEEN would not be participating in the tour.
Belift Lab also claimed that the Fest World Tour had infringed on ENHYPEN’s intellectual property. The label added that any events featuring ENHYPEN would be jointly announced by the event organiser and Belift Lab.
“Event organizers or hosts do not announce an event without an official announcement of ENHYPEN’s official channels,” Belift Lab’s statement reads. Both Pledis Entertainment and Belift Lab’s statements add that they plan to take legal action against unauthorised attempts to use their artists’ IP.
Hwang Entertainment’s social media platforms have since been deactivated and has not issued responses to the labels at the time of publication.