Generous Elton John? Having a small concert only in Korea

"Why only in Korea would pop legend Elton John choose a small concert hall?"

Elton John`s fans both inside and outside Korea started asking them this question recently. Earlier, John decided to have his concert on November 25 in a small hall named "Under Lounge" owned by Hyundai Card in Itaewon, Seoul. The hall can accommodate only 500 people. The tickets were 200,000 won per person, and were all sold out within one day of release on October 15.

According to the concert industry, John`s guarantee is about 600 million won to 700 million won (530,503 U.S. dollars to 618,921 dollars). The profit from the tickets for this concert would be only 100 million won (88,417 dollars). Given that Hyundai Card holders can get 20 percent discount, the actual profit would be less. On his world tour scheduled until next year, Korea is the only place where John is having a small concert. This has left pop fans with some speculations including, "Elton John is a very generous man," "Does he love Korea that much?" and "Hyundai Card must have spent a lot of money."

The Dong-A Ilbo has discovered, however, that his visit to Korea was also about "coconuts." John will visit JYP Entertainment and have a discussion with CEO Park Jin-young and others about a food and beverage business. A detailed schedule is yet to be determined. JYP Entertainment established Jaxcoco Korea earlier this year, a joint venture with the Hong Kong brand Jaxcoco. John is one of the major stockholders of Jing-Holdings that owns Jaxcoco. Among the stockholders are many celebrities including actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Jaxcoco Korea distributes products such as coconut water, coconut oil, and coconut chips to department stores in the capital area. The company plans to expand its market to the entire country. John will reportedly have a discussion based on Korea`s marketability.

John is not the first foreign singer who came to Korea for different reasons. In 2012, American hip-hop producer Dr. Dre appeared on the stage as a special guest during rapper Eminem`s concert in Korea. On the previous day, he visited a Gangnam branch of "Beats by Dr. Dre" that he established to promote his headphones. "Recently an American singer who had a concert in Korea asked if he could participate in an event for a brand of which he is a stockholder during his time in Korea. But he eventually agreed with the organizer to fully focus on the concert," said an official of a production agency. "In case of such a big star as Elton John, he is the one who decides what he wants to do, be it a concert or a business. It seems that both Elton John and Hyundai Card have made a broad-minded decision on the small concert."

imi@donga.com