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Inkigayo Tickets: How to See the K-pop Show in Seoul
Inkigayo tickets come two ways: an application on the official SBS site, in Korean, or a tourist package booked at least 10 days ahead. This guide explains both routes, what to bring on the day and how to reach the studio, and why neither route is a sure seat.
Quick answer Two routes in, and what each one needs
Foreign visitors get into Inkigayo by applying on the SBS site in Korean, or by booking a tourist package at least 10 days before the show. Visit Seoul warns that seats are very limited and that applying does not guarantee a ticket. Bring your original passport, because copies are refused at the door.
Key takeaways
- The closest bookable option on this site is a music show rehearsal ticket, covered on the K-pop show tickets in Seoul page.
- Big stadium shows work differently: see K-pop concerts in Seoul for venues and ticket rules.
- Fill the rest of the week with a fan day from the K-pop tours in Seoul list.
- Want to perform instead of watch? The K-pop idol experience page covers studio recording and makeover sessions.
How Do Foreigners Get Inkigayo Tickets?
Foreigners either apply on the official SBS Inkigayo site in Korean or book a tourist package that puts them on the guest list.
There are two routes. One is cheap in money and expensive in effort. The other costs more and removes the language barrier.
Route 1: Apply on the SBS Site
Visit Seoul's Q&A tells visitors to apply on the show's own official site, which for Inkigayo is the SBS program page. The application is in Korean. You need a passport, or an alien registration card if you live in Korea.
Seats are very limited. Applying does not guarantee a ticket. Some application windows are short: one special-episode notice opened applications for only 30 minutes, from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Visit Seoul's page is old, and procedures may have changed, so read the current SBS notice before you plan around it.
Route 2: Book a Tourist Package
Several sellers run packages built for visitors. KoreaTravelEasy's package bundles the ticket, a walking tour and transport to the SBS Public Hall. It is for foreign passport holders only. Korean nationals, including permanent residents and dual citizens, are not eligible.
Booking is due 10 days before the show. The seller issues a confirmation voucher 10 days before the event, once it has sent the guest list to SBS. Trazy warns that these tickets run out very fast.
You can fit the studio day into a wider K-pop tours in Seoul plan, with agency streets and fan cafes on the other days.
Source: Visit Seoul.
SBS Prism Tower, the broadcaster's Seoul building. Photo: 95016maphack, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
How Much Do Inkigayo Tickets Cost?
Package prices are set by each seller and change with the option, so the real cost is the one on the seller's page on the day you book.
The two routes differ more in what you get than in the ticket itself. The table sets them side by side.
The Two Routes Compared
This table compares the SBS application with a tourist package on the points that decide a booking: language, ID, booking deadline and how sure the seat is. The figures come from Visit Seoul and from KoreaTravelEasy's package page.
| Point | SBS application | Tourist package |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Korean | English booking page |
| ID | Passport or alien registration card | Original foreign passport only |
| Deadline | The window SBS announces, sometimes 30 minutes | 10 days before the show |
| Seat | Not guaranteed | Guest list sent to SBS by the seller |
| Extras | None | Walking tour and transport to the SBS Public Hall |
The Music Show Ticket Sold on This Site
This site does not sell an Inkigayo package. The one bookable music show product is the K-pop Music Show Pre-recording Ticket Tour, which does not name which show you attend. It comes as Ticket Only or as a Full Tour Package with transport. The listing describes front-row standing at live rehearsals, and the line-up changes every episode. Its price, times and free cancellation up to 24 hours are on the K-pop show tickets in Seoul page.
If a specific group matters more than the show itself, no ticket can promise it. Treat any artist you see as a bonus.
Source: Visit Seoul.
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Check AvailabilityHow Far in Advance Should I Book?
Book a package at least 10 days before the show, and watch the SBS notices daily if you plan to apply yourself.
The deadline depends on the route. Both reward people who plan early.
Packages: 10 Days Out
On KoreaTravelEasy's package, booking closes 10 days before the show. That is when the seller submits the guest list to SBS and issues your voucher. After that point a late booking has no list to join.
Trazy says the tickets run out very fast. Pick your show date first, then book the rest of the trip around it.
Applications: Short Windows
Application windows on official notices can be very short. One Weverse notice for a special episode at Songdo Art Hall gave a window of 30 minutes, from 7:00 PM to 7:30 PM. Miss it and that episode is gone.
Set an alarm for the window in Korea time, and have your passport details ready before it opens.
When Is the Weekly Artist Lineup Announced?
SBS releases the weekly lineup every Friday after 15:00 KST, and sellers do not email it to you.
You commit to a show before you know who is on it. That is the main risk of an Inkigayo plan.
Book First, Learn the Lineup Later
A package books 10 days ahead. The lineup appears on Friday after 15:00 KST, well after that deadline. KoreaTravelEasy states that no lineup emails are sent, so check SBS yourself. The lineup can also change without notice.
Go for the show, not for one group. If your trip hangs on one act, a stadium date on the K-pop concerts in Seoul page is the surer bet, and a BTS tour in Seoul covers the fan places on other days.
How Are Seats Assigned for SBS Inkigayo?
Entry numbers are assigned at random in advance, and package guests get a separate priority entry number after an on-site guest-list check.
You do not choose a spot. Your number decides when you walk in.
Entry Numbers
On KoreaTravelEasy's package, entry numbers are assigned at random before the day. Tour participants then get a separate priority entry number once staff check the guest list on site. Arriving early does not move you up the order, but arriving late can cost you the check-in.
Trazy's FAQ covers booking limits, ticket transfers and seat assignment. Read your own seller's version of those rules, since each package sets its own.
What ID Do You Need at the Inkigayo Studio?
You need your original physical passport, because photos and copies are not accepted at the entrance.
The door check is the one step you cannot fix on the day. Pack the passport the night before.
Passport Rules
KoreaTravelEasy states that the original physical passport is required at the entrance. A photo on your phone or a paper copy is refused. Book under the exact name in that passport.
The package route is for foreign passport holders only. Visit Seoul notes that applicants on the SBS route need a passport or an alien registration card. If you live in Korea on a registration card, the SBS application is the route open to you.
For help in English on the day, the Tourist Information Center line is 1330.
Source: Visit Seoul.
Can Children Attend the SBS Inkigayo Show?
There is a minimum age, and the sources disagree on it, so check the current SBS audience guide before you book for a teenager.
Families get caught out here. The age rule is set by SBS, not by the seller.
Check the SBS Audience Guide
A Korea Tourism Organization guide and package sellers give different minimum ages. Packages state that children under their limit are not admitted, even with a parent. The rule that counts is the one in the SBS Inkigayo audience guide on the program page.
If your group includes a younger teen, confirm the age with the seller in writing before you pay. The 10-day booking deadline gives you time to ask. Younger fans can join a K-pop dance class instead, a 1.5-hour session with its own age rules.
Where Is the Inkigayo Studio and How Do You Get There?
Inkigayo records at the SBS Deungchon-dong Public Hall near Gayang Station, and packages include transport there.
Packages handle the trip for you. Independent applicants make their own way.
SBS Deungchon-dong Public Hall
Trazy names the venue as the SBS Deungchon-dong Public Hall, near Gayang Station. KoreaTravelEasy's package includes transport to the SBS Public Hall, so package guests do not need to find it alone.
If you applied through SBS, take the metro to Gayang Station and follow your ticket notice for the entrance. Special episodes can move: one notice placed an episode at Songdo Art Hall instead. Read the venue on your own ticket notice, not on an old blog. The Tourist Information Center on 1330 can help with directions in English.
Inkigayo Tickets FAQ
Are Inkigayo tickets guaranteed if I apply on the SBS site?
No. Visit Seoul says seats are very limited and applying does not guarantee a ticket. For a ticket you can book outright, see the K-pop show tickets in Seoul page.
Can I take photos or videos during the show?
Photo rules are set by SBS and repeated in each seller's FAQ, and Trazy's FAQ lists photos as a topic. Read your seller's rule before the day, and keep your phone for the K-pop tours in Seoul stops instead.
Is there a re-entry option once inside the studio?
Re-entry is covered in Trazy's FAQ, and the answer depends on the studio rules for that episode. Plan as if you cannot leave and come back. Check your seller's notes, and see K-pop concerts in Seoul for how arena shows differ.
Are food and drinks allowed inside the studio?
Food and drinks are on Trazy's FAQ list, so the seller sets out the rule with your booking. Eat before you queue, since check-in comes well before the show. The K-pop show tickets in Seoul page notes that meals are not included on the music show ticket sold there.
What happens if the show is canceled?
Each seller has its own cancellation policy, so read it before you pay. The music show ticket on the K-pop show tickets in Seoul page offers free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead.
Can Korean residents join an Inkigayo package?
Not the KoreaTravelEasy package. It is for foreign passport holders only, and Korean nationals, permanent residents and dual citizens are not eligible. Residents can apply on the SBS site with an alien registration card, as Visit Seoul notes. See K-pop tours in Seoul for other fan days.
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