Fansign Event Sparks Controversy Surrounding K-Pop Idols

Park Bo Gum is facing controversy over his unique 2026 Season’s Greetings fan sign events.

The controversy started because his fan signs don’t follow the usual K-pop model. Instead of fans buying tons of albums to win tickets, each person can only buy three items. Plus, a huge number of fans get picked — 200 winners per event, 1,600 spots total across multiple sessions.

This system stopped the wild album-buying races fans usually complain about. Many fans praised it for being fair and giving more people a chance.

“Wow, suddenly I want to drill all K-pop boy idols and make them line up for punishment…”
Comment from a fan on the system

Fans also said:

“Park Bo Gum’s system should be adopted, now’s the perfect time to say this.”
“This has to be introduced to K-pop immediately.”
“Let’s change the idol scene like this too.”

But not everyone agrees. Some netizens warned the system could cause chaos in typical K-pop fandoms and argued that actor fan signs and idol fan signs can’t be compared because they serve different purposes.

Comments included:

“Are they saying idols need to make money and actors do fan service, so it should be viewed differently? Doesn’t that sound weird?”

“I totally agree that if K-pop limited the number of albums per person and ran a lottery for fan signs, it would cause chaos lol. Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, it’d be wild.”

“Park Bo Gum really seems to treat his fans well. Everything I see about him on social media is amazing.”

“People are saying he sets limits because he’s an actor, but I’ve never seen anyone, idol or actor, not set quantity limits at fan events. Some fans act like idols don’t do fan signs without special tickets lol. This is just his choice in how to treat fans.”

Park Bo Gum’s fan sign system is stirring debate on fairness and fan culture in K-pop and beyond. The industry and fans are watching closely to see if this could change how fan interactions happen in the future.