◀ anchor ▶
The city of Busan is promoting a free BTS performance for 100,000 people in October to host the World Expo.
However, MBC has continued to report that the conditions of Ilgwang Beach in Busan, which were decided as the venue for the performance, are very poor, causing inconvenience as well as safety accidents.
As concerns and controversies grew, the city of Busan and its agency Hive eventually decided to change the venue.
Reporter Lee Yoo-kyung reports.
◀ Report ▶
The place that was originally decided as the venue for BTS’ performance to host the Busan World Expo was the site of an abandoned factory in a small fishing village in Gijang-gun.
However, there are only two or three trains per hour on the Donghae Line passing by, and there are only two two-lane roads that can enter the site.
When the reporters checked the site, access was not enough to hold a concert for 100,000 people.
[손하늘/기자 (8월 30일 뉴스데스크)]
“Since the village is in direct contact with the sea, it is like an island, so you have to cross a narrow two-lane bridge to get in and out of the village.”
[최경혜/BTS 팬 (부산 시민)]
“There is no infrastructure there, so how did you come to do it there? Wouldn’t it be very inconvenient if ARMYs (BTS fans) came…”
Since there is only one entrance to the concert hall, concerns have been raised that a safety accident could occur if a large number of people gather at once.
There are no convenience facilities such as restaurants or toilets nearby, so it was pointed out that it would not be able to handle 100,000 spectators.
In particular, when a performance that exceeds the size of accommodation facilities in Busan was announced, the prices were exorbitant, with places asking for up to 10 million won.
As the controversy over the venue and scale continued, the organizer, Hive, eventually changed the venue.
He announced that he would hold a performance at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium, which has 53,000 seats.
Asiad Main Stadium has 72 distributed entrances and 64 toilets.
Hive said, “We have changed the venue to create a more pleasant and smooth viewing environment while prioritizing audience accessibility and convenience.”
A Busan city official also explained, “Hive has informed us that it will change the venue in consideration of the safety and accessibility of visitors.”
Accordingly, the size of the invited audience is expected to be reduced from 100,000 to around 50,000.
This is Lee Yoo-kyung from MBC News.
Video Editing: Park Hye-Rin
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