Korea is the cradle of Kpop - a music industry that produces many famous artists with global influence.
According to data from the Korea Customs Service (KCS), Kpop album export sales will reach a new high of 290 million USD in 2023 - an increase of 25.4% compared to 2022.
In which, BTS and Blackpink became the super-profit groups.
The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute once commented: "If BTS holds a concert in Korea during the post-COVID-19 period, the country's economic growth will reach 677.6 billion won (12.5 trillion VND) to 1.2 trillion won (22.2 trillion VND) for a concert". That is, if BTS holds concerts 10 times a year in Korea, they will have a strong impact on the country's economy.
However, despite the great demand from Korean and Asian audiences, BTS or Blackpink cannot hold performances in Korea too often.
Typically, within the framework of Born Pink, Blackpink has visited many large stadiums with a capacity of 60,000 - 80,000 people, but when returning to their hometown, they performed at Gocheok Sky Dome with only 17,000 seats.
Over the years, concert venue in Korea has become a burning issue as Kpop has grown strongly, attracting global audiences.
According to the Korea Times, music groups are facing a "battle" to rent performance locations, which are in very limited quantity in Korea.
As of now, locations in the Seoul area have a capacity of over 10,000 spectators that can be counted on the fingers.
However, to rent out the stadium, artists have to go through fierce competition.
The Jamsil sports complex has the largest stadium in Korea with nearly 70,000 seats. But the venue has been closed for renovation since August 2023 in preparation for the Olympics. Jamsil will be closed until 2026.
Gocheok Sky Dome, with a capacity of about 20,000 people, will open in March 2024 after upgrading, but K-pop singers cannot rent this location during the annual April-October Baseball season.
The Seoul World Cup Stadium has a capacity of 60,000 seats but rarely issues licenses to hold concerts to avoid damage to the football pitch.
Music critic Kim Do-heon shared: Korea does not have enough sports stadium facilities, not to mention locations dedicated to concerts. Having few options means artists have to perform at the same location many times.
The concert is an important event to look at the careers of artists and express their musical philosophy. But in the current situation, it is difficult for them to create and express the group's uniqueness."
According to experts, the shortage of performance locations is partly due to Korea's relatively small land area, making it difficult to build large-scale performance facilities.
Mr. Ko Jeong-min, a professor at Hongik University, said that most sports stadiums in Korea are not suitable for music performances.
To address the shortage of concert venue, South Korea has begun building stadiums dedicated to art performances. The two stadiums in Kyunggi province and Dobong district (Seoul) are expected to open within the next few years. These two locations have 60,000 and 18,000 spectators, respectively.
More concert venue will benefit Kpop stars and help the country attract more tourists. At the same time, Korea can attract international artists, typically Taylor Swift, to choose Seoul as a destination for a world tour," affirmed Professor Ko Jeong-min.
