K-pop sensation BTS held a massive concert in Busan over the weekend and BLACKPINK did the same in Seoul.
BTS on Oct. 15 at 6 p.m. opened its concert “Yet to Come in Busan” at Asiad Main Stadium in the port city to promote the latter’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo .
The boy band’s management agency Big Hit Music on Oct. 16 said 52,000 people packed the stadium to watch the concert.
Another 12,000 fans watched the event on huge screens installed at the international passenger terminal of the Port of Busan and Haeundae Beach.
The concert was also livestreamed free in 229 countries through Weverse, an online platform created by Big Hit’s parent company Hybe, attracting 49 million views.
Yonhap News quoted BTS member RM as saying, “It’s been three years since we performed in Busan in 2019,” adding, “It’s an honor and deeply meaningful to hold a concert in Busan, which we visited a long time ago, to promote the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo.”
Downtown Busan was illuminated in purple.
Purple lights every night through Oct. 17 will light up major bridges and buildings in the city like the bridges of Gwangandaegyo and Namhangdaegyo, Hyeopseong Marina G7, Busan Diamond Tower and Busan City Hall.
In Seoul, the girl group BLACKPINK from Oct 15-16 held two concerts under the theme “BLACKPINK World Tour [Born Pink] Seoul” at Olympic Gymnastics Arena, aka the KSPO Dome, and met fans around the world. Over both concerts, 20,000 fans from home and aboard gathered to watch the act’s first domestic concert in four years.
After its concerts in Seoul, BLACKPINK will go on a world tour spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The group aims to attract a combined 1.5 million fans on its tour, which would set a record for a K-pop girl group.
The world tour will begin in North America, as BLACKPINK will hold 14 shows in seven cities starting with Dallas from Oct. 25-26 and followed by Houston, Atlanta, Hamilton in Ontario, Canada, Chicago, Newark, New Jersey and Los Angeles.
Source: Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism