International ARMY are flying into Korea for the BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN: LIVE VIEWING — only to hit a wall at Lotte Cinema's payment screen. Here's the legitimate workaround.
The problem at checkout
Here's the situation thousands of overseas ARMY are running into right now: seats are open, your card is ready, you're literally in Korea for the event — and Lotte Cinema's checkout refuses to let you pay. The culprit is Korean phone identity verification (본인인증), a domestic-only system tied to Korean carriers and resident registration. No Korean mobile number registered under your name? The payment simply won't go through — no matter how good your international credit card is.
It's maddening. But there's a clean way around it: buy a Lotte Cinema gift card on SodaGift with your own international payment method, then pay with that gift card at checkout — no Korean phone, no verification, no problem. Here's exactly how.
The event: BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' IN BUSAN: LIVE VIEWING
This is a live viewing — the Busan concert broadcast live into cinemas nationwide, so you can sing, cheer, and feel like you're right there in the arena.
- Screening 1: Saturday, June 13, 6:45 PM
- Screening 2 (Rebroadcast): Sunday, June 14, 6:45 PM
- Price: KRW 59,000
And here's the part a lot of overseas fans miss: the live viewing is screening all across Korea, not just in Busan. Lotte Cinema locations include World Tower, Konkuk University (Gundae), Gimpo Airport, Dogok, Sillim, Hongdae, Yongsan, and many more across Seoul, Gyeonggi/Incheon, Daejeon, Daegu, Busan/Ulsan, and beyond. Plenty of seats are still available right now — so if you're in Korea, you genuinely still have a shot. Don't give up just because checkout blocked you the first time.
Why you're getting blocked
Lotte Cinema's booking system is built purely for the domestic Korean market. At the payment step, it demands Korean phone identity verification — linked to Korean carriers and resident registration. For overseas ARMY, this is a brick wall: it doesn't matter that you have a perfectly good international credit card in hand, the system won't process the payment without a verified Korean number.
To make it worse, the Lotte Cinema website and app don't support Japanese or English at all. We honestly find this a real shame — a global fandom is showing up in person, and the booking flow gives them no language support and no way to pay. Until Lotte Cinema fixes that, you'll need a workaround. This is it.
The workaround: pay with a Lotte Cinema gift card from SodaGift
SodaGift is a cross-border gifting platform where you can buy Korean gift cards using your own international payment method — with no Korean identity verification required. A Lotte Cinema gift card you buy on SodaGift comes with a PIN/card number that you apply directly at Lotte Cinema's checkout. That's how you sidestep the phone-verification wall entirely.
Step 1 — Buy a Lotte Cinema gift card on SodaGift
Open SodaGift, search Lotte Cinema, and buy a gift card. They come in fixed denominations (e.g., KRW 10,000), so buy enough to cover the KRW 59,000 ticket. You can stack multiple cards — we'll show you how below. Each card gives you a PIN/card number right in your order screen.
Step 2 — Book your seat on Lotte Cinema
In the Lotte Cinema app or site, pick the BTS ARIRANG live viewing, your theater, date, and seat. Go to the payment screen.
Step 3 — Pay with the gift card (Giftiel / 금액권)
At checkout, choose the Giftiel (gift voucher / 금액권) option, then:
- Enter your PIN number, tap 조회 (Inquiry) → 최대적용 (Apply Maximum), and check that the amount is reflected.
- Once it shows as applied, tap 적용 (Apply).
- To add another card, tap Giftiel (금액권) again and repeat with the next PIN.
- After all cards are applied, confirm the final total and complete your booking.
Because each gift card is a fixed amount, you'll usually combine several to reach KRW 59,000 — the steps above let you stack them one PIN at a time. No Korean phone verification appears anywhere in this flow.
Don't forget your fan gift
As a special perk for the live viewing, attendees receive 2 commemorative fan gifts (poster-style collectibles celebrating the BTS WORLD TOUR 'ARIRANG' live viewing). A few things to know:
- One fan gift set is provided per ticket.
- Gifts are handed out at the theater — bring your ticket on the day.
- A screenshot won't work for redemption. When you issue your smart ticket, make sure it's under the actual attendee's number.
- Supplies follow each screening's schedule, so arrive with a little time to spare.
See it in action
We've put together a short video walking through the entire flow — buying the Lotte Cinema gift card on SodaGift, then applying it at checkout to get past the verification wall. Follow along step by step and you'll be set.
Enjoy BTS in Busan — as close as you can get
You crossed an ocean to be with BTS. That journey shouldn't end at a payment error screen. With a Lotte Cinema gift card from SodaGift, the Korean phone-verification wall stops being a dealbreaker — you pay with the card you already have and walk into that theater. We hope every ARMY heading to Korea gets to experience the Busan live viewing as up close as humanly possible. 💜
SodaGift connects hearts across borders — sending gifts, and sometimes clearing the little obstacles that stand between you and a once-in-a-lifetime moment.