By Joyce Lee
SEOUL, March 21 (Reuters) – South Korea shut down the heart of Seoul on Saturday for a comeback concert by Kpop supergroup BTS, as authorities prepare for an estimated 260,000 fans to flood the capital’s streets and millions more to watch the show live on Netflix.
The hour-long concert in historic Gwanghwamun Square marks the release of the seven-member group’s first album in more than three years, ahead of a global tour starting next month.
The comeback album “Arirang” sold 3.98 million copies on its first day of release, Big Hit Music, the music label run by BTS’ management agency HYBE, said on Saturday.
22,000 FREE TICKETS, 2,551 TOILETS
BTS debuted in 2013 and have gone on to global superstardom, becoming the most streamed Kpop artist globally on Spotify, its members invited to the White House and partnering with the U.N. General Assembly. In 2022, the group went on hiatus so the members could complete South Korea’s mandatory military service.
“The City of Seoul will do its best to make it flexible – to make (the performance) both safe and enjoyable,” Mayor Oh Se-hoon said on Thursday as he checked safety measures put in place.
Seoul is staging the event nearly four years after a crowd crush killed Halloween revellers in the Itaewon nightlife district. Memories of the disaster still linger, amplifying pressure on South Korean authorities to ensure the safety of what is expected to be one of its largest-ever public gatherings.
Seoul police have shut streets and erected fences as well as metal detectors around the square, which sits to the south of the Gyeongbokgung Palace. They have also said they will jam signals of any unauthorised drones.
The Seoul government, HYBE and other organisations involved in the event have deployed a combined 8,200 personnel to manage the crowds that began gathering on Friday. The city government said it had set up medical stations and secured 2,551 toilets open to the public including in nearby buildings.
Organisers of the concert, which will start at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), gave away 22,000 tickets, but the area is open to non-ticket holders who will be able to watch the performance on Netflix via giant screens.
It will be streamed live on the platform to 190 countries.
Netflix and HYBE on Saturday relaxed restrictions on media coverage of the show, allowing longer audio or video footage of the performance to be shown but keeping a ban on live-streaming by the media.
“If there was freedom (to do so), then maybe live-streaming, and taking videos, I would have probably made a blog for myself or to share them with my friends, or even live-stream through other social,” Elsa Llorens Torrubia, 30, from Spain told Reuters.
“People are here not just for the show,” she said. “We’re here for the atmosphere. Before the show, the whole atmosphere, they are not going to be able to experience fully. So I think it’s kind of unfair that they cannot see that as well.”
A ‘TRILLIONS OF WON’ COMEBACK
BTS’ world tour will last into 2027 and is set to be the biggest global Kpop tour of all time, spanning 34 regions and 82 shows as of this week, according to the tour website.
Analysts project blockbuster revenues for the group’s return to the global stage, with some estimates pointing to total tour earnings of as much as 2.7 trillion won ($1.8 billion), rivalling top-grossing tours such as Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour and Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour.
Seoul-based analysts also estimated the tour could bring in ticket revenue of at least 1.5 trillion won and total attendance of between 5 million and 6 million fans. On Friday, South Korea’s finance minister said on X that the direct economic effect of the Saturday comeback concert alone was in the “trillions of won”.
“The number of shows could reach 100 once dates to be added next year are included,” said Hwang Ji-won, analyst at iM Securities. “Assuming only 50,000 attendees per show, that comes to 5 million – and actual attendance could be higher given the 360-degree stage.”
A 360-degree, central stage means the audience surrounds the group as they perform. Analysts say such a set means there are no obstructed views and also increases audience capacity, boosting sales.
Roughly half the shows are expected to be in North America and Europe, where ticket prices are generally higher, Hwang said.
Kim Yu-hyuk of IBK Investment & Securities forecast total tour revenue of 2.7 trillion won and operating profit of 487 billion won ($324 million), including merchandise, expected to be a major additional revenue driver.
Spending estimates on merchandise range from 100,000 won to 140,000 won per fan, while prices of the new “ARMY Bomb” light stick that the audience use to cheer BTS at concerts have soared on secondhand sites.
($1 = 1,505.2500 won)
(Reporting by Joyce Lee, Minwoo Park and Heekyong Yang; Editing by Brenda Goh, Kate Mayberry and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
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