HYBE’s Boy Group Has K-Pop Fans Saying The Company’s “Generation Shift” Worked

Are they “next”?

HYBE’s rookie idol CORTIS is once again drawing attention for their explosive momentum.

Earlier this month, CORTIS became a hot topic after the ticketing for their first tour, “2026 CORTIS TOUR <PUT YOUR PHONE DOWN>,” triggered a massive response. The group is set to hold 13 performances across Seoul, Japan, Canada, and the United States, with both standing and seated tickets for the Seoul shows priced at ₩143,000 KRW (about $94.20 USD).

The tour had already gained attention even before ticketing began, as CORTIS implemented separate pre-sale schedules for domestic and global fans. Many Korean fans praised the system, with some even saying they wished their own fandoms had the same domestic pre-sale option.

HYBE Idol Group’s New Tour Implements New Ticketing Process, Triggers Massive Response

Now, the results of the domestic pre-sale are sparking a new conversation.

According to ticketing statistics shared online, CORTIS’s domestic pre-sale reportedly sold out. The buyer demographic also caught attention, as women made up 89.3% of ticket buyers, while men accounted for 10.7%.

By age group, fans in their 20s made up the largest percentage at 52.7%, followed by teenagers at 27.1%. Ticket buyers in their 30s accounted for 12.4%, while those in their 40s and 50s made up 3.6% and 1.8%, respectively.

The numbers quickly became a hot topic on Korean online communities, with many netizens pointing out that the group appears to have a strong younger fandom. Some also pushed back against previous attempts to criticize the group’s fan demographic.

Others noted that the statistics made sense for CORTIS’s overall image, as the group’s concept has been described as trendier and less conventionally “idol-like.” Many netizens also saw the sold-out pre-sale as proof that CORTIS is growing faster than expected!

• “They’re a boy group, but since the songs are good, I’m seeing male fans too.”
• “Were there any boy groups recently that felt as fresh as them? I really feel like a lot of younger kids will like them.”
• “That age range isn’t even that old for fans. At most, it’s probably mostly people in their early to mid-20s LOL.”
• “HYBE’s generation shift seems to have worked well.”
• “Young, LOL.”
• “My younger sibling failed ticketing hard today LOL.”

• “Aren’t most of them minors? The group really blew up fast.”
• “I feel like HYBE ultimately does put out good results… I think CORTIS will take the next generation of boy groups.”
• “I wanted to go to the concert, so I even bought the membership yesterday ㅠㅠㅠㅠ But now I just became someone who bought a membership ㅠㅠㅠㅠ I wonder if I failed because I wasn’t as desperate as the fans, but I really do want to go.”
• “So many videos of them performing well keep popping up on Instagram, so even though I’m not a fan, I want to go see them once too ㅜㅜ LOL.”
• “The obsession with age is seriously tiring.”
• “I see a lot of CORTIS content on my timeline these days and their fans just seem like a normal boy group fans, mainly people in their teens and 20s…”
• “I picked up on a lot of hype from school kids, so I thought it would overwhelmingly be teenage picks.”

With CORTIS’s domestic pre-sale selling out and their fan demographics becoming a hot topic, many are now watching to see just how far HYBE’s rookie boy group will go.

Read more:

HYBE Group’s Startling Ticket Sales Trigger Backlash