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Foreign visitors surge in major areas in Seoul on BTS concert day: Data

Published: 29 Mar. 2026, 18:00 Updated: 29 Mar. 2026, 18:02

A 7-Eleven convenience store in central Seoul featuring a banner celebrating BTS's concert in March. 21. [NEWS1]

Major commercial districts in Seoul saw a sharp rise in foreign visitors on the day of BTS's concert in the capital earlier this month, with Seongsu-dong emerging as a new shopping hub, industry data showed Sunday.

More than 78,000 foreigners visited Jung District, central Seoul, home to the popular Myeongdong shopping district, on March 21, when BTS held its comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Square, up 15.1 percent from a year ago, according to data compiled by a statistics portal run by the Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

Jongno District, central Seoul, where Gwanghwamun Square is located, saw 37,000 foreign visitors, up 49.9 percent from a year earlier, followed by Mapo District, western Seoul, with 36,000, Gangnam District, southern Seoul, with 34,000 and Yongsan District, central Seoul, with 31,000.

Seongdong District, eastern Seoul, which includes Seongsu-dong, recorded 21,000 foreign travelers on the day, up 52.6 percent from a year earlier.

The KTO data covers only users of roaming services provided by SK Telecom, excluding those using other mobile carriers or local SIM cards.

Separate data by fashion e-commerce company Musinsa showed that foreign spending rose sharply in Seongsu-dong, which has emerged as a new commercial hub among younger consumers.

Foreign sales of Musinsa Standard's Myeongdong store on March 21 rose 43 percent from a year earlier, while those at its Seongsu outlet surged 69 percent.

Over the three-day period from March 20 to 22, the increases widened to 32 percent and 75 percent, respectively.

“Foreign visitors coming to Korea for BTS concerts are primarily young women," a source from a local retail company said. "They tend to experience firsthand the fashion, beauty and food trends currently popular in Korea."

Yonhap