Amid controversy, HYBE finally announced to change the venue for BTS’s free concert in Busan
The venue for the 2030 Busan World Expo has been changed.
BTS’s agency, HYBE, announced today that the venue for the ‘Yet to Come in Busan’ concert, which will be held in Busan on the 15th of next month, has been changed from the special stage in Ilgwang, Gijang-gun to Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
Accordingly, HYBE said through BTS’s official Weverse on September 2, “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,” adding, “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.” – said HYBE.
After the announcement that the BTS performance will be held at Hehehe Field (formerly the site of the Busan plant of Korea Glass Industrial Co., Ltd.) in Gijang-gun, Busan, there was a lot of concern about the lack of basic infrastructures such as toilets and restaurants, as well as the risk of traffic chaos and casualties. While the expected number of spectators is 100,000, there are only two entrances, causing inconvenience and safety problems when the audience enters and exits.
Criticism intensified as it was revealed that one of the two entrances will be used exclusively for VIP audiences (about 3,500 people). Most prospective audiences asked to move the venue for the safety and convenience of the audience.
The concert is sponsored by Busan Metropolitan City while hosted and organized by Big Hit Music (HYBE).
With the change of venue, the number of spectators (previously target of mobilizing 100,000 spectators) is also expected to decrease. Busan Asiad Main Stadium has a total of 53,000 seats. The agency added, “We will provide details of the new venue and seating for the concert in an upcoming announcement.“
HYBE’s full statement is as follows:
“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: daum
