A free concert from K-pop group BTS in Busan, South Korea, was viewed by more than 49 million people at the weekend.
The ‘BTS Yet to Come in Busan’ concert was held in support of the city’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo, as well as promoting Korean culture to a global audience.
The physical concert was held at Busan’s Asiad Main Stadium with 50,000 in-person guests in attendance. An additional 10,000 people watched a live retransmission at the Busan Port, and 2,000 viewed the concert in Haeundae, a tourist area that has also hosted the Busan International Film Festival.
Online live-streaming through Weverse, a fan platform that is operated by the band’s management group Hybe Entertainment, racked up roughly 49 million views. A further million TV viewers also watched the concert through local broadcaster JTBC.
BTS said: “We hope our concert tonight will help promote Busan and support the city’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Busan.”
Following the concert, the ‘BTS Yet to Come in Busan’ after party sold 4,000 tickets.
The host country of World Expo 2030 will be elected by the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) members. If Busan is successful, the event will be held in Busan North Port Area from May 1 through October 31, 2030. The theme will be ‘Transforming our world, navigating toward a better future’.