Rising K-Pop Concert Demand Exacerbates Venue Shortages; Urgent Need for Infrastructure Upgrades to Support Industry Growth

As the K-Pop industry continues to expand rapidly, the shortage of domestic performance infrastructure has worsened, prompting the music industry to submit proposals to the government for improvements. Additionally, with HYBE, K-Pop’s largest entertainment company, accelerating its global expansion, there is growing pressure to establish a systematic infrastructure framework that can keep up with the industry’s expanding scale. On the 30th, the Korean Entertainment Producers Association issued a statement saying, “K-Pop has evolved beyond being merely a music genre to become a global cultural asset representing South Korea. Recent overseas sales from K-Pop and revenue from live performances are making significant direct and indirect contributions to the national economy,” while also pointing out that “domestic performance infrastructure is severely inadequate to support the rapidly growing K-Pop industry.” Currently, venues such as the Seoul Olympic Stadium, Seoul World Cup Stadium, Gocheok Sky Dome, and KSPO Dome in Olympic Park—each capable of holding over 10,000 people—are partially used for K-Pop concerts, but they face limitations including renovation needs, damaged grass surfaces, and complex booking procedures. The association warned that these issues “cause disruptions to major domestic concert schedules and ultimately lead to a decline in the competitiveness of the domestic concert market as well as economic losses.” The industry has proposed specific solutions. It suggested building a world-class ‘K-Pop Arena’ on the site of the National Assembly Building once the relocation of the assembly to Sejong becomes a reality. Another option is to construct a large indoor venue with 30,000 seats in the 88 Grassyard area of Seoul Olympic Park and its surrounding zones. The association also advocates for introducing a ‘concert quota system’ that guarantees a certain number of concert days at major sports facilities in the capital region such as the Seoul World Cup Stadium. Meanwhile, HYBE’s global expansion is accelerating the internationalization of the K-Pop industry. The company opened its first office in Beijing in April, marking its fourth overseas branch after those in Japan, the United States, and Latin America. It is also preparing to enter the Mumbai market in India, with plans to “fully enter the Indian entertainment market” through a local office, according to HYBE’s statement. HYBE’s entry into China is seen as a sign that Beijing may lift the unofficial ban on Hallyu culture that has persisted since around 2016. In fact, HYBE recently sold 9.38% of shares in its rival SM Entertainment to Tencent Music, China’s largest music streaming service, for approximately $180 million. SM and Tencent Music have since planned to jointly produce new idols and organize concerts in China. An HSBC analyst predicted that “as K-Pop gains greater recognition in China, usage of fan platforms like HYBE’s Weverse and ‘Dear U Bubble’ will increase.” However, K-Pop’s return to China may not be smooth. The group EXID canceled its concert in Fuzhou scheduled for May 31 due to “local circumstances,” marking the first time since 2016 that any Korean idol group has canceled a performance on the Chinese mainland.