Filled Stadiums With Domestic Fandom... 1 Million Middle-Aged Fans Transform the Concert Market

Lim Youngwoong Surpasses 1 Million Total Solo Concert Attendees
Large Venues With Over 10,000 Seats Account for Over Half of Sales
Direct Purchases by Fans in Their 40s and 50s Soar to 37.5%
Trot’s Influence Grows With Park Seojin, Park Jihyun and Others

Lim Youngwoong performed at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex on the 5th during the 'IM HERO - THE STADIUM 2' concert. Provided by Mulgogi Music

The “armchair fans” have evolved into a paying audience of 1 million. Four years after Lim Youngwoong embarked on his first nationwide tour, his total solo concert attendance has surpassed 1 million. As the middle-aged demographic has emerged as a key consumer group willing to open their wallets, the stage for solo artists rooted in trot music has expanded from arenas and domes to stadiums.

According to the music industry on September 9, Lim Youngwoong held a solo concert at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex from September 4 to 6, attracting 95,000 people over three days. With this concert, the cumulative total audience for his solo performances since his first nationwide tour in 2022 has exceeded 1 million.

The growth began with regional tours. Starting in Goyang in 2022, he held 21 concerts in seven cities including Changwon, Gwangju, Daejeon, Incheon, Daegu, and Seoul, drawing a total of 170,000 attendees. After confirming paid demand nationwide, he moved on to KSPO Dome and Gocheok Sky Dome, ultimately reaching Seoul World Cup Stadium in 2024, where 100,000 people attended over two days.

Between October last year and February this year, his nationwide tour drew 252,000 fans across 24 shows. Instead of simply holding a one-off large-scale event, he has consistently demonstrated his ability to attract large audiences, with regional tours leading to performances in major venues year after year.

Lim Youngwoong’s achievement of 1 million attendees is in line with the growth of Korea’s pop music concert market. According to the Korea Performing Arts Box Office Information System (KOPIS), there were 2,212 pop music concerts in the first half of this year, with ticket sales reaching about 3.39 million—a 5.8% increase from the same period last year. Total sales rose 9.6% to 452.65398 billion won, accounting for 55.9% of the overall concert market’s ticket sales revenue of 809.45437 billion won.

Last year, ticket revenues from pop concerts increased by 29% to 981.72286 billion won compared to the previous year. Of this, sales from large venues with over 10,000 seats reached 530.08731 billion won, representing 54% of the total. This demonstrates the growing dominance of large-scale venues in the concert market.

The audience is no longer limited to young K-Pop fandoms. According to NOL Ticket, the Goyang concert’s ticketing provider, people in their 20s accounted for 16% of ticket purchasers, while those in their 30s made up 30.4%, totaling 46.4%. Those in their 40s and 50s made up 21.7% and 15.8% of buyers respectively, adding up to 37.5% of the total audience. Teenagers accounted for 1.8%.

The proportion of attendees in their 40s and 50s has especially grown, rising by 11.1 percentage points to 37.5% from 26.4% at the 2024 Seoul World Cup Stadium concert. This indicates a shift away from children purchasing tickets on their parents’ behalf, with more middle-aged and older fans now booking tickets online themselves.

On the 5th, Lim Young-woong's concert 'IM HERO - THE STADIUM 2' was held at the main stadium of Goyang Sports Complex. Provided by Fish Music

In fact, the share of payments made by the middle-aged demographic in the trot concert market has steadily increased. According to an analysis by KB Kookmin Card of 5,100 concerts by 164 artists and 60 sellers from 2022 to the first half of 2023, trot concert revenue surged by 134% compared to the same period the previous year, and the number of cardholder clients grew by 91%.

By age group, people in their 30s made the most purchases (32%), followed by those in their 50s and older (27%) and those in their 40s (25%). Considering that the average ticket spending per purchase by those in their 30s was 220,000 won—the highest among all groups—the data suggests that both proxy purchases by the younger generation and direct spending by the middle-aged are supporting the market in tandem.

There is also robust demand for high-priced seats. Ticket prices for the Goyang concert ranged from 121,000 won to 198,000 won depending on seat location. Concert consumption has expanded into movie theaters as well. The film “Lim Youngwoong│IM HERO THE STADIUM,” featuring the 2024 Seoul World Cup Stadium concert, attracted 357,858 people—a record for live concert films in Korea. The movie’s total revenue reached 10.11714 billion won.

According to statistics from the Korean Film Council, half of the movie’s audience was aged 50 or older, and 66% of viewers chose IMAX and ScreenX options, which are priced higher than standard screens. As fan club gatherings and merchandise consumption have also become more active outside the concert hall, entertainment companies are improving amenities such as crowd flow, rest areas, and restroom access to accommodate long viewing times for middle-aged and older audiences.

The trend of attracting paying audiences nationwide has spread throughout the broader trot market. Park Seojin conducted the "MY NAME IS SEOJIN" tour, starting in Seoul at the end of last year and visiting Daejeon, Goyang, Busan, Gwangju, and Daegu. The top ticket price reached 165,000 won in Seoul and 154,000 won in Gwangju and Daegu, yet he managed to hold two concerts in each city.

Park Jihyun also wrapped up “Showmanship Season 2” on an encore stage in Seoul on July 29–30, after touring Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju, Incheon, Jeonju, Goyang, Busan, and Seongnam, starting with three concerts at Seoul Olympic Hall in April. Both the two performances in Gwangju and the two Seoul encore concerts were sold out. Reputation built from TV and local events is being translated into touring power that moves tickets every year.

Kim Jeongseop, professor at the Graduate School of Culture Industry and Arts at Sungshin Women’s University, stated, “Unlike younger idol fandoms who focus on social media and streaming, the middle-aged trot fandom is highly active offline, purchasing albums, attending performances, running fan cafes, and engaging in regional meet-ups. Their sense of wanting to actively enjoy, express, and make the most of life has led to proactive participation in fandom activities.”

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