FILE PHOTO: Joanna from Philippines, a fan of K-pop band BTS, reacts on phone with a friend after getting tickets for BTS’s first South Korea concert in years, as part of their world tour, at a PC cafe in Seoul, South Korea, January 22, 2026. - Reuters
SEOUL: With a little more than a month left until BTS’ historic return to the stage, Seoul is already feeling the heat.
The group’s concert on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square — their first full-group performance in over three years — has sent ripple effects through Seoul’s hospitality, retail and aviation industries, with nearby luxury hotels booked out and even budget motels hiking rates to nearly 500,000 won (US$342) a night.
Hotel industry data and tourism platforms show that the “BTS effect” is already visible across the Gwanghwamun area, as well as nearby Myeong-dong and Insa-dong in central Seoul — areas within walking distance of the outdoor concert venue.
The Plaza Seoul, a luxury hotel overlooking the concert site, reached full capacity for the day of the concert as of Jan 28 — nearly two months in advance. According to the hotel, on the same weekend in March 2025, the hotel was 85 per cent full.
Nearby hotels such as Four Seasons Seoul, the Westin Josun Seoul, Shilla Stay Gwanghwamun and Lotte Hotel Seoul also reported either full occupancy or sharply higher bookings for March 21.
The increase in demand has pushed up prices, with a standard room at Shilla Stay costing up to 627,000 won, 72 per cent higher than the hotel’s typical weekend rates.
Budget and midrange options are also filling fast.
According to accommodation platform Yanolja, budget hotel reservations for March 20 to 21 in Jongno and Jung-gu were up 450 per cent compared to 2025. Some motels near Anguk Station, a station near Gwanghwamun Square on Seoul Metro’s Line No. 3, saw listings with nightly rates at 499,000 won, more than triple the rates from two weeks earlier.
The surge in hospitality is also fuelling expectations of increased sales, especially among restaurant owners.
“Though we haven’t seen people booking out restaurants like hotels just yet, many restaurant owners are expecting massive foot traffic and are planning for a big rise in sales numbers,” a restaurant owner near Gwanghwamun Square told The Korea Herald on Feb 4.
Major retailers near the concert site are also preparing their own range of events ahead of the expected boom in tourist numbers.
Lotte Department Store is launching a foreigner-exclusive discount event at its flagship stores in Myeong-dong and Jamsil from March 19 to 29.
Customers who present foreign passports will be eligible for up to 10 per cent off purchases, along with gift cards for those spending over 200,000 won.
Lotte Mart is planning to showcase BTS Jin’s Super Tuna collaboration with Dongwon and expand shelves for Korean beauty products and other souvenirs in its Seoul Station branch.
Shinsegae Department Store is also expanding lounges curated to shoppers of foreign nationality during this period, while also curating BTS-themed experiences and culture zones in its Myeong-dong store.
Shinsegae Duty Free, which launched its own “Space of BTS” store at Myeong-dong in June 2025, added that it plans to highlight K-pop-related products and local snacks in its stores as well.
Super Bowl director to lead in Gwanghwamun
The Gwanghwamun concert is expected to signal a new milestone for K-pop’s global visibility, as it will be broadcast live to more than 190 countries via Netflix. The company anticipates more than 50 million viewers.
According to concert organisers, the event will be directed by British live-performance director Hamish Hamilton, known for directing the Super Bowl halftime show nearly every year since 2010 and having worked with artists like Beyonce, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar and Usher.
Hamilton also directed the opening ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and led stages for the Emmy Awards, Grammys and Oscars.
According to local government sources, the stage is expected to be installed at the north end of Gwanghwamun Square, with a seating plan for approximately 34,000 attendees, including main and side stands.
The concert will be free.
BTS is expected to make a dramatic entrance by walking through the traditional royal path from Geunjeongmun to Heungnyemun to Gwanghwamun — a symbolic route once taken by kings to meet their people — marking what many see as the group’s symbolic “return of the kings” era. - The Korea Herald/ANN
