Due To The Massive Backlash Over The Poor Planning For BTS’s Free Busan Concert And Safety Concerns, HYBE Announces The Venue Has Changed
The city of Busan has been under fire for what many are labeling ‘poor planning’ when it comes to the highly anticipated free BTS concert which will be held less than two months from now.
The upcoming free BTS concert in Busan will be held on October 15 and it was a concert meant to gather interest for the bidding for the 2030 Busan World Expo. The concert was originally set to be held in Ilgwang and was expected to be face-to-face and projected to be BTS’ largest concert in South Korea.
However, many issues were discussed and encountered soon after the news was made. Many pointed out how it would be difficult to set up the stage to handle this many people. Added to that, there was no proper transportation to get in and out of the location raising concerns over the traffic jam that will be inevitably created by the tens of thousands of people on site. On top of that, there was only one concert entrance meaning about 100,000 people were expected to enter and exit through one entrance.
Due to this safety concerns were raised. Civil groups began to express their concern over the poor planning for the concert due to the lack of infrastructure to handle the massive crowds. Many online communities were discussing the concerts, the potential logistic nightmare, and such.
Not to mention the lodging for the concert, due to the sudden massive demand, the area surrounding the original venue location saw a sharp increase in bookings. These bookings saw prices skyrocket by five times their original price, many K-netizens complained about the hotels and motels raising prices so high to the point of being unaffordable. Its expected these bookings will be completely canceled as a result.
As of the new announcement, the BTS free Busan concert will be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium which has a capacity of around 56,000 people. Fans are now wondering whether the venue will be transformed in some way to handle 100,000 people or whether the seating will be reduced in half. Big Hit Music said the seating details will be released later on.
According to media outlets, the Busan government promises to organize an on-site inspection team to conduct inspections and crackdowns on any illegal activities that could affect the concertgoers experience.
You can read Big Hit Music full statement addressing this matter below!
Hello.
This is HYBE and BIGHIT MUSIC.We are informing you that the venue for the WORLD EXPO 2030 BUSAN KOREA CONCERT BTS <Yet To Come> in BUSAN has been changed.
The venue for the main concert has been changed from Ilgwang Special Stage as previously announced and the concert will now be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
In July, BTS was appointed as the honorary ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo because they understand the importance of the World Expo and share the same values. As a first step to aid BTS’s support of the bid for Busan in 2030, we planned a massive, festival-like global concert for audiences across the world.
We made the global concert free for all so that not only fans of BTS but everyone around the world could enjoy the festival-like experience together. Our goal was to contribute to Busan’s bid for the World Expo by promoting the culture of both the global city of Busan and Korea as a whole through a large-scale concert with next-level production.
After careful review of many places in Busan and how suitable they were for that plan, we originally elected to hold the concert in Ilgwang. Based on cooperation with organizations including Busan City, police, the fire department, and the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), we carefully moved ahead with organizing the event so that the audience would be able to have the most convenient experience possible.
Our decision to change the location of the concert was made in an effort to ensure that the focus remains on the performance’s main purpose, which is to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.
Our top priority is to preserve the main purpose of the concert and for the audience to have a smooth, enjoyable and accessible viewing experience.
While the venue has changed, we remain dedicated to the vision and we will still be holding the other events related to the concert as planned. We will be holding LIVE PLAY at Busan Port International Passenger Terminal Outdoor Parking Lot so that the audience gathered there can watch the concert live on a large screen and experience the performance up-close. The concert will also be streamed online for everyone around the world to get in on the excitement of the performance, and we have even more events coming around Busan to keep the spirit of the concert alive.
We thank you for your continued interest and support in WORLD EXPO 2030 BUSAN KOREA CONCERT BTS <Yet To Come> in BUSAN.
We will provide details of the new venue and seating for the concert in an upcoming announcement.
Thank you.”
Source: (A)
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