Attended a 'Free Concert,' Faced 1 Hour 30 Minutes of Funeral Service Promotion... Bada Says "It Was Just a Scheduled Appearance"

Promoting Funeral Service Companies Under the Guise of "Free Concerts"

Bada's Agency: "Not Involved in the Event Details"

Singer Bada's agency has stated that she was "not involved in the detailed aspects of the event," following media reports that her free concert was actually a marketing tactic to promote the products of a specific funeral service company.

On May 8, Wavnine, Bada's agency, explained, "The concert was arranged through an outside agency," adding, "She attended because she wanted to see her fans in the provinces."

Singer Bada poses at the appointment ceremony as an ambassador for the 23rd Seoul International Environmental Film Festival held at the Rachel Carson Hall of the Environmental Foundation in Jung-gu, Seoul on April 21, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The agency further clarified, "There is no relationship whatsoever with the funeral service company, and we have no involvement in the event composition or schedule." The agency added, "To our knowledge, the organizer announced from the recruitment stage that the event would include a funeral service company presentation. We also understand that the audience was aware of this when they attended."

The agency expressed frustration over the perception that Bada had deceived the audience by participating in the event under false pretenses.

Earlier, the JoongAng Ilbo reported that organizers have been actively using a marketing tactic where they attract audiences through the lure of free concerts by famous singers via social media, but then devote a significant amount of time to promoting products such as funeral service packages. The report also pointed out that audience members expressed discomfort over lengthy product promotions and solicitations that lasted one to two hours.

The media outlet cited Bada's free concert, which was held at a small theater in Seocho-gu, Seoul on April 30, as an example of this practice.

SNS account promoting a free concert by a famous singer. Concert organizer's Instagram

The report stated that after all 450 seats in the venue were filled, a representative from the funeral service company came on stage. The promotional segment, which included product introductions, distribution and completion of application forms, and their collection, continued for 1 hour and 40 minutes before the concert finally began.

The social media account in question was promoting free concerts not only by Bada but also by other well-known singers such as MAKTUB, Huh Gak, Min Kyunghoon, and Tei. The account has more than 80,000 followers.

The account introduces each singer's free concerts across the country and includes a statement at the end of each post noting, "This concert includes a promotional time for sponsors."

The event organizers told JoongAng Ilbo that they "plan to improve the transparency of their guidance and operational procedures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.