(Web Desk) - South Korea recorded nearly £28m in spending by foreigners attending concerts by K-pop group BTS, who recently returned to the stage after four years.
Figures released by the credit card company Hana Card showed that some 30,000 overseas visitors spent about 55.5bn won on airfare, accommodation, food, and retail during the three days that BTS performed at Goyang Stadium earlier this month, according to The Korea Times.
The band composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook had been on a hiatus since 2022 while the members completed their country’s compulsory military service. The members pursued solo projects during that time but returned as a group last month with their new album Arirang.
The comeback was marked by a free concert at the historic Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul on 21 March. They launched the accompanying Arirang World Tour on 9 April in Goyang, just outside the capital, kicking off a global run of shows across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
All three shows at the 41,000-seat Goyang Stadium sold out during presales, according to local media reports.
BTS, which helped make Korean pop music into a global phenomenon, released a new album "ARIRANG" in March after putting their group activities on hold in 2022 to complete mandatory military service.