HYBE changes BTS’ Busan concert venue amid raging protests from fans

It seems like HYBE has heard fans as BTS’ Busan concert venue has been changed. On September 2, HYBE released a statement stating that BTS’ World Expo 2030 Busan Korea Concert will now be taking place at Busan Asiad Main Stadium.

HYBE announced that BTS’ Busan concert, slated to be hosted on October 15, would not be held at the Ilkwang special stage. This decision was announced amid raging fan protests over safety, logistics, and transport concerns.

The statement also revealed that HYBE originally chose the Ilkwang special stage to support Busan’s bid for the “2030 World Expo.” BTS was chosen as the honorary ambassador in July.

HYBE said they wanted to showcase a massive concert with out-of-the-world stage effects and production, and hence the first venue was chosen in accordance.

Not only that, HYBE also intended to work with the city of Busan, the Busan police, the Busan Fire Department, and the Korean Railroad Corporation to ensure that fans had the best experience.

However, with fans expressing their discomfort with the earlier location of BTS’ Busan concert, the organizers have decided to go with Busan Asiad stadium.

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BTS’ Busan Concert: Why is Asiad stadium proposed to be a better venue for fans?

BTS’ Busan Concert will now be hosted at Asiad stadium in the same city. For the unversed, Busan Asiad Stadium or Asiad Main Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium which was originally built for the 2022 Asian games and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The venue can house up to 53,769 attendees and HYBE believes it can easily accommodate about 100,000 fans who will be attending the group's BTS concert free of charge.

Fans had earlier questioned why BTS’ Busan concert was not being hosted in the Asiad stadium, which is a popular and accommodating venue. HYBE, in their statement, revealed that they changed their concert venue to avoid the negative press.

In order to prioritise the safety and comfort of ARMYs, the concert venue has been changed and other scheduled activities will resume as planned.

Additionally, HYBE stated that 'LIVE PLAY', the official live streaming event of Bangtan's concert, is scheduled to take place at the surface parking lot of the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. This will allow fans to experience the concert in real time with other fans. The live streaming will also take place on Weverse, NAVER NOW and Zepeto.

Details on how to reserve tickets for the concert will be disclosed soon.

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ARMYs welcome HYBE’s decision to hold BTS’ Busan concert at Asiad stadium

The group's concert was in the news for all the wrong reasons. First, the hotel and lodging prices were raised to exorbitant numbers ($6600 for two nights). Following this, there were concerns about transportation, lodging, and recreational options outside the earlier venue. Fans were also concerned about the banal set of rules issued by the Busan government.

Amidst this controversy, Busan government blamed HYBE for being overtly ambitious and now HYBE has announced a change in the concert venue. ARMYs have welcomed the venue change and have taken to social media to express their views.

The septet's concert will take place on October 15 at 6 pm KST at Asiad stadium and will be jointly supported by the Busan Metropolitan City as well as the “2030 Busan World Expo” Bid Committee.

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In other news, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense announced they are cancelling the public survey to ask the general public whether BTS should be exempted from military service or not.