K-pop group BTS’ big comeback show puts some wedding plans in Seoul on edge
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The free BTS performance at Gwanghwamun Square is scheduled to start at 8pm before an invited audience of 15,000.
PHOTO: AFP
SEOUL – Fans around the world are counting down to March 21, when K-pop supergroup BTS is set to take over Gwanghwamun Square for its long-awaited comeback show
For some couples planning to marry in central Seoul that same day, however, the global event is a source of anxiety. With little over a month left, some said they even considered significant changes to their wedding plans, including moving the date or venue.
Ms Song, who is scheduled to hold her ceremony at a wedding hall near Seodaemun Station – just one subway stop from Gwanghwamun Square – said on Feb 18 that she recently considered doing exactly that.
“Traffic around Gwanghwamun is always chaotic on weekends due to rallies. I already felt bad about that. And now there’s a BTS concert? I honestly don’t know why this has to happen on my wedding day,” she told The Korea Herald.
The free BTS performance at Gwanghwamun Square is scheduled to start at 8pm before an invited audience of 15,000
However, Seoul city officials expect far larger crowds to gather around the plaza throughout the day, effectively turning central Seoul into an outdoor BTS festival.
The police estimate that up to 230,000 people could gather near Daehanmun at Deoksugung, mainly in the northern section of Gwanghwamun Square, where the stage will be set up. Overall attendance could climb to 260,000 if the crowd spreads towards nearby Sungnyemun.
“I’ve been reaching out to friends and family to apologise and ask them to take public transportation that day,” Ms Song added. Her wedding is at noon on March 21.
Since wedding venues are typically booked six months to a year in advance, news of the concert, first reported in mid-January, has left couples like Ms Song caught off guard.
Rescheduling is difficult at this point as couples would have to pay cancellation fees of several million won.
According to the Fair Trade Commission’s consumer dispute resolution guidelines, they can cancel their contract without penalty up to 90 days before the wedding date. However, cancellations made 30 to 59 days before the event come with a fee equivalent to 20 per cent of the overall contract price.
Some anxious couples are even discussing the possibility of seeking compensation for disruptions they say the BTS concert could cause, arguing that the scale of the event goes beyond what consumers could reasonably foresee or prepare for.
“If this were a government event, that’d be different. But when a private company holds an event in a public space, and regular people are left to deal with the fallout, there should be compensation,” wrote a Naver user planning to get married in Seoul in March.
Wedding venues near the concert site are also grappling with a surge in customer requests to change or cancel wedding dates.
“We’re fully booked on March 21 from morning through the evening, and inquiries from brides and grooms have been pouring in,” a wedding planner said in an interview with a local news outlet.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to establish detour routes to ease expected traffic congestion.
“The exact timeline of the BTS concert has yet to be finalised, which has delayed coordination on traffic control measures. Once confirmed, we will set up detour routes and take steps to minimise the impact on nearby wedding halls and churches,” an official said.
The K-pop group’s concert marks the release of its fifth full-length album, Arirang,
The album comes nearly three years and nine months after the seven members completed their mandatory military service.
Following the comeback show, the group will embark on a large-scale world tour beginning on April 9 at the Goyang Sports Complex near Seoul, staging a total of 82 performances in 34 cities worldwide, including Busan in June. THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
