HYBE have announced a change in venue for BTS‘ upcoming ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan.
The music label took to the boyband’s official Weverse page today (September 2) to announce that BTS’ ‘Yet To Come’ concert in Busan, which was previously meant to be held at the Ilgwang Special Stage, will now be held at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on October 15 for free. The concert was organised in support of the city’s bid to host the World City Expo in 2030.
“After careful review of many places in Busan and how suitable they were for that plan, we originally elected to hold the concert in Ilgwang,” HYBE explained in their statement. “Based on cooperation with organisations including Busan City, police, the fire department, and the Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), we carefully moved ahead with organising the event so that the audience would be able to have the most convenient experience possible.”
HYBE maintained that their decision to change the venue for the concert was made in order to ensure that “the performance remains on the performance’s main purpose, which is to promote the bid for the 2030 Busan World Expo.”
“Our top priority is to preserve the main purpose of the concert and for the audience to have a smooth, enjoyable and accessible viewing experience,” the statement read.
Despite the change in venue of the main concert, HYBE clarified that there will be no changes to the other provisions previously announced for those unable to attend the main show – including a livestream of the show to be screened at the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal Outdoor Parking Lot as well as an online stream for global fans.
HYBE’s decision to swap venues for the ‘Yet To Come’ concert comes hot on the heels of public uproar from both BTS fans and residents of Busan, who have been criticising the concert’s organisation due to safety concerns regarding the location and set-up of the venue.
Factors including a lack of adequate facilities to cater to a large public gathering, lack of ticketing numbers and sectioning, an “unrealistic” ban on food and more were flagged by the public.