Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung criticized hotels for profiteering in connection with BTS’s Busan concert.
On the 16th, Lee Jae-myung shared an article on his social account about the controversy regarding hotels overcharging for BTS’s Busan concert.
Lee Jae-myung stated, “We must root out malicious practices that disrupt market order and cause great harm to everyone,” emphasizing that “The costs of unjustly obtained profits should be far higher than the benefits.”
Recently, BTS announced their world tour as a complete group for the first time in four years, starting with their first concert on April 9 and planning to cover North America, Europe, South America, and Asia. To date, the announced schedule includes 79 performances in 34 cities, making it the largest tour in K-pop history.
The concerts in Busan are scheduled for June 12 and 13. As members Jimin and Jungkook are from Busan, this adds significance to the event.
Following the announcement of BTS’s Busan concert, hotels in Busan quickly filled up with reservations, leading to a shortage of available rooms.
In some cases, hotels set prices at rates two to ten times higher than the previous week, sparking controversy.
This isn’t the first time such issues have arisen during BTS concerts. In 2022, when BTS held a concert to promote the 2030 Busan World Expo, some hotels canceled existing reservations and increased prices more than tenfold to accept new bookings, drawing criticism.
While expectations for regional economic revitalization grow with BTS’s concert, there are increasing calls for reasonable pricing and management strategies for local businesses.
