Fans of BTS, the group with the largest global fandom, waited 75 minutes for the concert to start in Busan on June 12.
Hybe, the group's management company, later apologized for the confusion at the venue, including issues with fan gift distribution and delays in merchandise collection. However, fans expressed that their discomfort was not solely due to the wait time.
A fan from Malaysia remarked, "No one knew why we were waiting or how much longer it would be. We could only hear sounds from behind the venue and had to rely on rumors among fans to understand the situation."
This fan had also attended the 2022 Busan concert. "Back then, the flow was unclear, and I stood for nearly nine hours. The overall management was chaotic. BTS is known for starting on time, so this was particularly surprising. The biggest issue was communication."
He compared the experience to a concert in Singapore, stating, "Even at large events, the entire process from entry to exit is very systematic."
Two months earlier, on April 9, the same tour kicked off at the Goyang Sports Complex north of Seoul, where fans had to endure heavy rain during the outdoor event.
These incidents highlight a broader issue facing K-Pop, rather than being solely a BTS problem.
While K-Pop has become a massive industry globally, does South Korea's concert infrastructure keep pace with this growth?
K-Pop Thrives, But Venues Lag Behind
The Jamsil Olympic Stadium, a primary venue for large-scale concerts in Seoul, began renovations in 2023 and is not expected to reopen until December 2026.
The Seoul World Cup Stadium, one of the few venues that can accommodate over 60,000 people in the metropolitan area, has limited concert bookings due to concerns about turf damage. Another major option, the Gocheok Sky Dome, is difficult to use during the professional baseball season from spring to fall.
As a result, concert organizers are competing for dates at limited alternative venues, such as the 15,000-seat KSPO Dome and the Incheon Inspire Arena.
The issue of venue shortages predates the closure of the Jamsil Olympic Stadium. South Korean popular music began to gain national recognition in the late 1990s after decades of censorship, but investments in large-scale concert infrastructure came much later than the industry's commercial growth.
Seoul faces challenges with limited land and high property prices. The construction of large concert venues often encounters obstacles such as construction costs, administrative procedures, and project delays. The Seoul Arena, which is being developed in Dobong District, was first discussed around 2015 and is now aiming for a May 2027 opening.
Japan's Infrastructure Outshines South Korea's
Japan presents a different model. Venues like Tokyo Dome, Kyocera Dome in Osaka, and similar large concert halls in Nagoya and Fukuoka provide a relatively clear "dome tour" circuit for touring artists. Many of these venues are integrated into regional infrastructure designed to accommodate large audiences.
Tokyo Dome City is a mixed-use entertainment area centered around the concert venue, featuring hotels, restaurants, shopping facilities, and subway access. This structure allows concerts to extend beyond isolated stadium events into a comprehensive urban consumer experience. While Japanese concerts also face issues such as congestion, merchandise lines, and rising hotel prices, the surrounding infrastructure helps disperse audience flow and provides spaces for fans to stay, move, and spend before and after events.
A fan from abroad cited Singapore as a benchmark, stating, "I think Singapore manages concerts the best, with the entire process from entry to exit being very systematically organized."
China has a large physical capacity, but access to K-Pop remains uncertain. The Beijing National Stadium can accommodate about 80,000 people, while the Shanghai Mercedes-Benz Arena holds around 18,000. However, since the deployment of the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea in 2016, there have been very few instances of major K-Pop artists holding large concerts in mainland China.
In September of last year, the Dream Concert scheduled to take place in Hainan was indefinitely postponed just days before the event. Similarly, a concert by Kep1er in Fuzhou was canceled that same month. While there are signs of K-Pop performances resuming in Hong Kong, the mainland Chinese market remains uncertain.
Concert Venues Are Essential Industry Infrastructure
The South Korean popular music concert market recorded its largest size ever last year.
Despite some large venues in Seoul being closed for renovations, limited concert availability, or already booked, ticket sales increased by 29%, reaching approximately $730 million.
Event organizers who have handled Asian tour schedules for international artists like Oasis and Mariah Carey believe that the shortage of concert venues in South Korea is linked to the cancellations of Madonna and Adele's concerts in the 2010s. The fact that Taylor Swift's 2024 Asia tour includes Tokyo but not Seoul is also mentioned in this context.
When fans travel abroad to see performances that skip South Korea, spending on accommodation, food, transportation, and merchandise flows to other countries. Conversely, when large concerts are held in South Korea, that spending benefits the local economy.
Kim Hee-jung, 62, who runs a convenience store near the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, has observed this trend since BTS held their 'Yet to Come in Busan' concert at the same venue in October 2022.
Kim stated, "When BTS makes a comeback or holds a major concert, related collaborative products come in, and those products definitely help sales. If many people come to Busan, it can only be good for the city."
Plans Abound, But Venues Are Still Lacking
Choi Hwi-young, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, stated in a briefing last December that the government plans to enhance the sound and lighting of regional sports facilities for use as concert venues. In the coming years, they aim to utilize the Seoul Arena and Goyang Arena, with a long-term goal of developing a large dedicated dome.
Minister Choi emphasized the need for a 50,000-seat dome stadium, explaining that it should not be a temporary conversion of sports facilities but rather a space designed from the outset for both sports and concerts.
However, the Seoul Arena has been in development for nearly a decade without opening. The CJ Live City project in Goyang has also stalled since construction was halted in 2023.
The Jamsil Indoor Stadium is set to be demolished in July 2026, and the nearby student gymnasium is expected to be torn down a year later, which may exacerbate the shortage of concert venues in the short term.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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