BTS K-pop group launches comeback tour to boost South Koreas soft power

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Seoul – A large crowd gathered at Gwanghwamun Square on March 21, with an estimated number of attendees exceeding hundreds of thousands. The event was a concert by K-pop group BTS, which had returned to the stage after almost four years away from the spotlight for their mandatory military service.

The concert was part of a larger effort to promote South Korean culture globally. According to city officials, the event drew significant attention from fans worldwide, with over 18.4 million viewers tuning in to a Netflix livestream of the concert.

BTS’s return to the entertainment world has been accompanied by a surge in interest in South Korean popular culture and tourism. The group’s 10th studio album, Arirang, topped charts in the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The upcoming world tour is expected to generate over $1.4 billion in revenue across more than 80 shows in 23 countries.

In the lead-up to the concert, hotel prices surged across central Seoul, with inbound tourist numbers rising 32.7 percent from the previous month. Sales of BTS merchandise also increased significantly, with a 430 percent surge at one retail outlet.

The Korea Culture and Tourism Institute (KCTI) estimated that a single BTS concert in Seoul could generate up to 1.2 trillion won ($798 million) in economic impact. A study by KCTI researcher Yang Ji-hoon highlighted the unique aspect of fandom-driven tourism, noting that many attendees were foreign visitors who required long-haul travel.

The city government provided significant support for the event, deploying over 10,000 personnel for security and logistics. The cost of these efforts was estimated to be around 130 million won ($87,400). This level of support reflects a broader state-backed strategy to promote South Korean culture globally.

Source: Al Jazeera