aespa’s controversial VIP experience at their Brazil concert has escalated into a legal dispute, with some local fans claiming they are taking legal action against SM Entertainment and demanding refunds.
The Brazilian aespa fan page “Info aespa Brazil” announced on September 7 that it had initiated legal proceedings against SM Entertainment.
The fan community referenced a previous dispute with SM Entertainment involving the release of aespa’s 2024 “My First Page” content on Google Drive. At the time, the group claimed that SM had taken legal action against them.
“Now, in 2026, we are taking legal action against SM. The law works both ways,” the fan page stated.
The latest controversy centers on the VIP “send-off” experience offered at aespa’s September 4 concert in São Paulo.
Following aespa’s concert in Santiago, Chile, fans shared videos showing members spending more time interacting with certain fans, including stopping for photos and autographs. Brazilian fans compared those scenes with the São Paulo event, where aespa members were seen quickly walking past fans gathered along a designated pathway.
The fan community has accused the organizers of failing to provide the level of experience they expected after paying a premium price for the VIP package.
“We have secured the videos, and we want our money back,” the fan page said, claiming that fans paid a substantial amount for VIP benefits but did not receive the experience they had expected.
According to Ticketmaster Brazil, the highest-tier VIP send-off package for aespa’s São Paulo concert was priced at 2,689 Brazilian reais, approximately $500 or 705,000 Korean won at the time.
The package included a 990-real concert ticket and an additional 1,688-real VIP service fee.
VIP buyers were advertised several benefits, including an invitation to aespa’s post-concert send-off event, priority entry, exclusive merchandise, an official photocards set, a VIP necklace and priority access to merchandise purchases.
Complaints from Brazilian fans began appearing shortly after the São Paulo concert. Local consumer complaint platforms reportedly received posts alleging that the send-off experience was far too brief and questioning how the VIP package had been operated.
Local media have also reported that members of the Brazilian fan community began collecting evidence as they considered possible legal action.
The controversy intensified after Brazilian media outlet Capricho compared aespa’s send-off experiences in São Paulo and Santiago.
At the September 4 São Paulo concert, aespa members were seen briefly greeting fans as they walked through the designated area. Two days later in Santiago, however, footage showed some members stopping in front of fans to take photos and sign autographs while spending more time interacting with them.
The key issue for Brazilian fans is whether the expensive VIP package delivered the benefits that had been advertised.
aespa’s São Paulo concert was part of the group’s world tour across South America. According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de S.Paulo, 21,652 tickets were actually sold for the São Paulo show, making it the second-largest concert by a Korean girl group ever held in Brazil, behind TWICE.