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HomeK-PopCORTIS' Debut Tour Plagued by Repeated Songs, Shortened Show, and 'Fake Fan' Allegations
K-Pop

CORTIS' Debut Tour Plagued by Repeated Songs, Shortened Show, and 'Fake Fan' Allegations

admin7/21/2026187 views 1 min read

BigHit Music's new HYBE boy group CORTIS held their first world tour, "2026 CORTIS TOUR ," at Incheon's INSPIRE Arena on July 18 and 19. Both dates sold out, but opening night quickly ignited controversy due to a "heavily repetitive setlist and an early finish." Discussion threads on Korean online forums surged past 1,100 comments. The agency's overnight adjustments for the second day only fueled more anger among first-day attendees, who demanded refunds. Allegations of "hired actors" in the standing section to boost the atmosphere further intensified the uproar. Meanwhile, 17-year-old *maknae* Keonho (건호) performed both nights with casts on both hands, prompting sympathetic fans to declare, "The problem isn't the members; it's the company."

Official poster for "2026 CORTIS TOUR <PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN>." Image source: X@BIGHIT_MUSIC
Official poster for "2026 CORTIS TOUR <PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN>." Image source: X@BIGHIT_MUSIC

12 Songs in 1 Hour 40 Minutes: "Feels Like a Concert to Make You Unfan"

CORTIS debuted on August 18, 2025, and has only released approximately 12 official songs to date. The concert was initially advertised as lasting about two hours but ran for only about 1 hour and 40 minutes, with a heavily repeated setlist. According to Korean media and concertgoers, "YOUNGCREATORCREW" was performed five times throughout the night, and "REDRED" four times. The show featured no cover songs, no VCR interlude videos, and no costume changes, a stark contrast to typical K-pop concerts that often run for three hours or more with elaborate segments. Ironically, the tour's theme, "PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN," was intended to encourage fans to "put down their phones" and immerse themselves in the live experience, with members repeatedly urging this from the stage. Instead, the performance content itself came under scrutiny.

A first-day attendee posted on the Korean forum theqoo, calling it a "performance that feels like it will make you unfan": "The concert in Incheon was super far, and I waited over two hours in the scorching sun just to get a light stick. The more I think about it, the emptier I feel. Everyone was walking out complaining. BigHit really..." This review garnered over a thousand agreeing comments:

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  • "Paying over 100,000 won to hear the same song five times would wear down even the deepest love."
  • "If they only had those songs, they should have just done a fan meeting. This was just too greedy."
  • "No VCRs is truly outrageous, completely lacking sincerity... No costume changes, so no VCRs, I guess."
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Even more unusually, the concert "ended early." Bustada, the shuttle bus operator for the venue, issued a rare announcement: "Due to the concert ending early, shuttle bus boarding times have changed." Even the drivers were caught off guard, with Korean netizens exclaiming, "This is the first time I've heard of a concert ending early in the idol world." Korean media pointed out that tickets cost 143,000 won (approximately 3,000 NTD), yet cover stages, VCRs, and costume changes were omitted. The decision to "force a tour with only 12 released songs" was criticized by *Korea Economic Daily* as "rushed monetization." Some comments even suggested that attendees file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency.

Official "Remedy" Overnight Prompts Refund Demands from First-Day Attendees

Facing overwhelming criticism, CORTIS made overnight adjustments for the second day's performance: extended talk segments, an encore expanded to seven songs with fan requests, and a total show time stretched to about two hours. They even reversed the "put your phone down" tour theme, allowing fans to freely film. However, the second day still featured no unreleased new songs and no added interlude segments. More troubling, these "overnight improvements" confirmed the hasty nature of the first day's performance. Many first-day attendees felt they "paid over 140,000 won to watch a rehearsal" and flocked to social media demanding refunds or compensation.

As of now, neither CORTIS nor BigHit Music has announced any refund or compensation plans. The official response on July 20 only stated, "We are grateful to be able to hold a solo concert less than a year after debut, and we will do our best to provide an unforgettable experience for the audience," without mentioning an apology for the controversial performance content.

Allegations of "Hired Actors" Fuel Mosh Pit Controversy in Standing Section

The first day's performance also had another incident: during the "TNT" stage, a group of particularly excited male audience members in the standing section jumped and danced enthusiastically. A viral video initially led international fans to praise CORTIS for attracting "so many male fans, creating a festival-like atmosphere." However, a concertgoer later revealed that these "passionate male fans" were allegedly professional dancers arranged by the organizers, numbering 20 to 30 people: "They were dancers in section S3, so funny," and "As soon as 'TNT' ended, they left, it was like experiencing the 'TNT' music video firsthand." BigHit Music has neither confirmed nor denied the allegations of "hired actors."

X (Twitter)

Keonho Performs Two Days with Casts on Both Hands, Fans Both Worried and Angry

Amidst the controversy, 17-year-old *maknae* Keonho (건호, born in 2009) became another focal point. Three days before the concert (July 15), BigHit Music announced that Keonho had fractured bones around his pinky fingers due to a fall and would perform on stage with casts and protective gear, not participating in choreography. However, according to fans present, he ran and jumped almost continuously throughout both performances, with a dance intensity that raised concerns he was "exceeding his physical limits." He even wore different colored sleeves over his casts to match his outfits. As he left the stage, a fan called out, "Don't get hurt!" and he turned back to reply, "Okay."

X (Twitter)
X (Twitter)

However, the situation might be more complex than simply "professionalism despite injury." Koreaboo reported that fans found photos of Keonho from June showing abnormalities like deformation and bruising on his hand, raising questions about whether he received timely medical attention after his injury, only seeking treatment after criticism emerged online. Korean comments expressed anger towards the company: "He's only 17? What are you doing? You need to protect him," "Why didn't they treat him immediately?" and "He's still a minor, why is no one taking care of him?"

Other fans posted lengthy messages in support of the members: "The CORTIS members are absolutely not arrogant or lazy. All five of them were drenched in sweat, constantly running and performing intensely on stage. Because there were no VCRs and no costume change times, the members performed almost non-stop without any breaks." The post concluded by urging, "I hope the company can plan a concert next time that considers both the fans and the CORTIS members – after all, the content and planning of a concert are not entirely up to the members." Comments were overwhelmingly in agreement: "The problem is the company, right? They weren't slacking off, who would blame the members?" and "The worst part is HYBE, for making a child who's this injured continue to perform."

Despite Criticism, Popularity Soars: "REDRED" Tops Apple Music for 70 Days, Stays in Bugs Top 5

CORTIS "REDRED" album cover. Image source: Bugs
CORTIS "REDRED" album cover. Image source: Bugs

Ironically, the concert's negative reception has not affected CORTIS' rising momentum. "REDRED," released in April, has topped Korea's Apple Music "Today's Top 100" for over 70 consecutive days, accumulated over 100 million Spotify streams in 57 days, and reached number one on YouTube's Global Trending list the day after its release. Even as the concert controversy unfolded, the song remained steadily between 2nd and 6th place on Korea's Bugs real-time chart, and the album continued to rank high on the Billboard World Albums chart. The day after the concert, Mnet also announced that CORTIS would be the first players in the second season of the horror variety show "SUMBAKKOKJIL (Hide and Seek)," indicating a packed schedule.

On one hand, there are sold-out tickets and consistently high music chart performance; on the other, shouts of "treating fans like fools." CORTIS' debut tour leaves behind a challenge perhaps for the entire K-pop industry: when a company makes a rookie group, less than a year after debut with only 12 released songs, shoulder a 14-show world tour across nine cities for monetization, how long can fan trust be depleted? "PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN" is scheduled to continue in Toronto, New York, and Kanagawa, Japan. Whether CORTIS can salvage its reputation in subsequent shows and whether the five members can maintain their health amidst a high-intensity schedule remain to be seen.

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