BTS Busan Concert Hits Snag: HYBE Apologizes After Over One-Hour Delay

Complaints Flood Social Media
Bottlenecks in On-Site Admission Lines Cited as Main Cause
HYBE Admits Operational Shortcomings
Promises to Prevent Recurrence

The BTS concert in Busan was delayed by more than an hour from its originally scheduled start time, prompting the organizer HYBE to issue an official apology.

On the night of the 12th, HYBE, the management company of BTS and the host of the concert, stated on the fan platform Weverse, "We deeply apologize to all attendees of the 'ARIRANG' World Tour concert in Busan for the significant inconvenience caused by the delayed start of the show."

Fans are gathered in front of the Asiad Main Stadium in Dongnae-gu, Busan, on the 12th, where the group BTS's 'BTS World Tour Arirang in Busan' performance took place. Photo by Yonhap News

The concert, which was held at the Asiad Main Stadium in Busan on this day, was originally scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. However, due to difficulties with the smooth admission of the audience, the show started about one hour and fifteen minutes late, at around 8:15 p.m. On-site, fans had to wait for an extended period to enter, and online, there were numerous posts criticizing the poor management of the event.

On social media, complaints poured in, including comments such as "The concert has already started, but I still haven't been able to enter," "I waited outside the stadium for more than an hour," and "The announcements were far too late." Some fans shared that they could not stay for the entire concert due to transportation issues. There were also pointed criticisms that the distribution process for admission wristbands and fan gifts was poorly managed, leading to even greater confusion and congestion.

HYBE explained, "A combination of factors, including confusion during on-site guidance, bottlenecks in the fan gift distribution lines, and delays in product pickup, caused the main performance to start late." The company added, "We once again sincerely apologize to all the fans who waited for a long time to attend the concert, for the great disappointment and inconvenience."

Performance scene of the group BTS (Bangtan Sonyeondan). Big Hit Music

HYBE further announced that for the Busan concert to be held on the 13th, it would thoroughly review and improve on-site operations, including admission procedures and gift distribution, to prevent a recurrence of these issues.

This concert drew significant attention as it was BTS’s first full-group performance in Busan in approximately three years and eight months since the '2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Concert' in 2022. All seats for the two-day event held at the Asiad Main Stadium in Busan were sold out, attracting a large number of fans not only from across Korea but also from overseas.

However, even before the concert, there were complaints from fans regarding the cancellation of reservations and a sharp increase in accommodation prices at some lodging facilities. BTS members themselves mentioned the accommodation issue during a pre-concert live broadcast, saying, "We hope our fans can make good memories in Busan."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.