Amid various controversies surrounding BTS ‘free concert in Busan, it seems inevitable to reduce the size of the show.
BTS was scheduled to hold a concert in Ilgwang, Gijang-gun, Busan, in October to assist the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo, but on September 2nd, the concert venue was changed to the Asiad Main Stadium in Yeonje-gu.
This is because various problems have been raised over the originally planned venue, including the lack of access roads, the absence of connected public transportation, the little convenience facilities, and rising accommodation prices. Suspicions surrounding Busan Mayor Park Hyung Jun and the site have also been added.
As criticism from the political circles, including civic groups, surged, the city of Busan and BTS’ agency, HYBE Labels, eventually turned to the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, which had been discussed from the beginning.
It is revealed that for the City of Busan and HYBE Labels, the most crucial criteria for selecting the location is whether it could accommodate 100,000 spectators. Consideration of stability and accessibility was not regarded as important.
A total of four sites were reviewed, including the original stage at a former glass factory and the Asiad Main Stadium. In the end, the glass site was selected due to the fact that it could accommodate 100,000 spectators and separate the movement of the audience and vehicles. With this selection, the organizers planned to expand the insufficient transportation facilities to cater to the event.
On the other hand, the reason why the newly selected Asiad Main Stadium was eliminated from the first selection was that it could not accommodate 100,000 spectators. In addition, some pointed out that BTS has already performed at the Asiad main stadium once, so the symbolism of holding the expo to pray for success is low, and concerns about the damage to the lawn as a soccer-only stadium were also raised.
Asiad Main Stadium is known to accommodate up to 80,000 people. For this reason, it is expected that the scale of the BTS concert in Busan, which has previously emphasized the number of spectators as 100,000, will be inevitably reduced.
However, since the initial announcement, there has been a series of criticisms, asking if forcefully gathering 100,000 people was necessary.
Amidst all these controversies, a video of Chun Gong, who is suspected of being related to President Yoon Seok Yeol, suddenly became viral. This particular video revealed that the president once mentioned his plan to gather 100,000 spectators during his inauguration ceremony.
As the maximum capacity of Asiad Main Stadium is 80,000, the size of “100,000 spectators” will inevitably be reduced, and the actual attendance number may be even lower due to various stability issues.
Regarding the situation, Hybe stated, “We have changed the venue to create a more pleasant and smooth viewing environment with the accessibility and convenience of the audience as our top priority.” They also added, “Due to the venue change, we will inform you of further details on the performance and seats in a separate statement.”
Source: Daum
