SEOUL (ANN/THE KOREA HERALD) – BTS’ two sold-out concerts in Busan attracted around 220,000 fans over two days, but the events also sparked complaints over crowd management, soaring accommodation prices and ticket scalping.
The concerts, part of the group’s ongoing “Arirang” world tour, were held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Friday and Saturday.
The most immediate issue emerged on opening night when the concert started about 75 minutes late due to delays in audience entry.
According to Hybe, the delay was caused by a combination of factors, including congestion at gift distribution and merchandise collection points, as well as confusion over on-site guidance.
Fans reported long queues and difficulties navigating the venue, with some claiming there was insufficient multilingual assistance despite the large number of international attendees.
The entry delays occurred despite a large-scale safety operation involving around 3,000 personnel, including event staff, police officers, firefighters and government officials.
Meanwhile, accommodation costs in Busan surged ahead of the concerts, drawing complaints from both local and international visitors.
Data from the Korea Tourism Data Lab showed that Busan accounted for more than half of the country’s tourism-related complaints in May, with accommodation issues making up the majority of reports.
Complaints included booking cancellations, excessive cancellation fees and sharp price increases. A survey by consumer authorities found that accommodation rates near the venue during the concert weekend averaged 2.4 times higher than normal, with some properties reportedly charging up to 7.5 times their usual rates.
Authorities also continued efforts to combat illegal ticket resales.
Busan police said they detected 10 scalping cases involving 11 individuals during enforcement operations around the stadium. In some cases, tickets originally priced at 220,000 won (USD145) were reportedly resold for as much as 680,000 won.
Police said most cases involved concert wristbands transferred between buyers and sellers after entry credentials had been issued.
Authorities said enforcement efforts against ticket scalping will continue at major concerts and sporting events.
Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin