HYBE paying less than 100 million won to hold BTS show at Gwanghwamun, heritage venues
Published: 21 Mar. 2026, 12:43
Updated: 21 Mar. 2026, 15:05
![Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 20. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2026/03/21/c81a9ff4-f7a1-47f2-96a3-93b31155f449.jpg)
Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno District, central Seoul, on March 20. [YONHAP]
BTS's comeback performance at central Seoul is costing HYBE less than 100 million won ($66,432) for the outdoor venue, JoongAng Ilbo found.
The K-pop agency has agreed to pay the Seoul Metropolitan Government 30 million won to use Gwanghwamun Square — an outdoor public space spanning more than 10,000 square meters (2.47 acres) — for seven days from March 16 to 22, which includes the amount of time to set up and deconstruct the stage for Saturday’s performance.
The company is also paying the Korea Heritage Service 61.2 million won to use and film at Gyeongbok Palace and Sungnyemun in central Seoul.
In total, HYBE is set to pay about 90 million won to the city and central government for the use of public spaces and cultural heritage sites in the capital.
Some critics argue that the amount is minimal, considering that more than 10,000 personnel — including about 6,700 police officers and 3,400 officials from the city, district and fire authorities — will be deployed for safety management.
Others, however, expect the economic impact to far outweigh the costs. Bloomberg estimated that the free concert at Gwanghwamun Square could generate about $177 million in economic effects for Seoul in a single day.
“While the concert is expected to create economic value worth trillions of won, its intangible effects could be several times — even dozens of times — greater,” Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said on Thursday.
Some analysts also project that the economic impact of BTS’s upcoming “Arirang” world tour, scheduled after the Gwanghwamun concert, could reach up to 100 trillion won, rivaling that of American pop star Taylor Swift. The Guardian reported that “a BTS tour is not merely a concert, but a demand shock that reshapes entire urban economies.”
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY KIM JI-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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