BTS show fuels tourism boom in Seoul

On the afternoon of March 19, the streets of Myeong-dong in central Seoul had already taken on a festive air ahead of BTS’s March 21 concert at Gwanghwamun Square. Digital billboards across the district flashed greetings in multiple languages welcoming “ARMY,” the group’s global fan base. BTS hits played on a loop through outdoor speakers, while crowds of foreign fans, many dressed in the fandom’s signature purple with headbands and bags, streamed through the area. With the comeback performance just days away, the city center is already buzzing with what businesses describe as a “BTS boom.”

Shops near the venue are stepping up preparations to cater to the influx. A pub close to Gwanghwamun Square has installed a BTS-themed photo zone and large screens, and hired additional staff fluent in three languages to assist foreign visitors. Owner Moon Sang-gi, 52, said all employees plan to wear purple T-shirts on the day of the concert to greet fans.

K-pop merchandise stores in Myeong-dong are also seeing a sharp uptick in demand. One shop employee said customer traffic has tripled compared with usual levels, adding that official light sticks, known as “Army Bombs,” have already sold out. Aoi Hirano, 20, visiting from Japan, said she was calming her pre-concert nerves by buying BTS character dolls and keychains. Nearby unmanned salad shops and cafes have increased orders to more than three times their normal volume and opened dedicated online chat rooms for foreign customers to capture the surge in demand.

Retailers are also benefiting from the pre-concert rush. Lotte Department Store said March 19 that sales to foreign customers at its Myeong-dong flagship store rose 140 percent from a year earlier during the week of March 11 to 18.

ARMY members from a wide range of countries and age groups have converged on Seoul. Stella Chipolen, a 12-year-old from the United States who has followed BTS since age 7, arrived in South Korea on March 18 with her mother to attend the concert. Her mother, Melza Chipolen, 48, said her daughter has been brimming with excitement since landing, repeatedly asking if she will truly get to see BTS in person. She added that they plan to visit sites such as HYBE headquarters before the concert to create lasting memories.

Nati Olen, 37, from Brazil, was seen around Gwanghwamun wearing a self-made BTS varsity jacket and had even hired a photographer for a personal shoot. Mieko Ishimoto, 62, from Japan, said she had previously traveled to South Korea in 2019 to purchase BTS merchandise available only in Gangnam. Although she is scheduled to leave before the concert due to prior plans, she said being on site has made her reconsider her departure date.

As the influx of fans continues, the government is also stepping up its response. The Justice Ministry said it will deploy additional personnel at Incheon International Airport on the day of the concert and introduce measures to disperse arrivals more efficiently during immigration screening. Acting National Police Agency Commissioner Yoo Jae-sung visited the Gwanghwamun concert site and said police would commit all available resources to ensure the event concludes safely, without any crowd-related accidents or security incidents.


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