Last month, luxury brand BONIA thrilled local TWICE (트와이스) fans with exciting news as one of the renowned K-pop girl group’s members would be coming to Malaysia. Pavilion Kuala Lumpur was abuzz on Saturday (21st September) with the highly anticipated appearance of Nayeon (나연) at BONIA’s 50th-anniversary pop-up event.
Naturally, thousands of fans flocked to the mall, eager for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see their bias in person. Some even waited for hours before the scheduled appearance. However, the event fell short of fans’ expectations, leaving many disappointed. Here’s what happened:
A fan expressed their frustration on Twitter over the poor handling by BONIA’s event management, noting that Nayeon was supposed to arrive at 3pm, as stated in the official announcements. However, as the hours passed and it neared 6pm, the “ABCD” singer was still nowhere to be seen. One viral TikTok video even showed fans at the event singing one of Nayeon’s solo songs, “POP!” aggressively, expressing their exhaustion and frustration with the event management as they continued to wait for the K-pop idol’s appearance.
What fuelled the ONCEs’ discontent even further was the chaos in the exclusive fan area, which was overrun by people without the necessary passes. Originally reserved for only 250 participants, the space became overcrowded, making it difficult for those inside to move. Fans who had secured membership spots felt it was unfair, as the privileges they were promised were effectively taken away. To make matters worse, many of those who managed to enter the exclusive area were reportedly non-fans, adding to the anger of the dedicated ONCEs.
Other fans who attended the event shared similar frustrations, with some having waited since 6am, only to leave without even catching a glimpse of Nayeon due to the overcrowded venue. Many fans speculated that the luxury brand may have used the crowd to generate hype for the event, stirring up more disappointment. On the other hand, some defended BONIA, arguing that the brand did not owe the fans anything and that it was the fans’ own decision to wait for hours before the scheduled time.
Although fans eventually got to see Nayeon, the mishandling of the event left many feeling disheartened. As of now, the luxury brand has yet to address the backlash. What are your thoughts on this issue?
Alia contributed to this article.
