McCartney may come to Seoul

By Baek Byung-yeul

A Korean entertainment company said Friday it was seeing progress in talks with Sir Paul McCartney for a concert in Seoul in May. The former Beatles member performing here would mark a major event as the band, which never played in the country before it folded, continues to be arguably the country’s favorite foreign music group.

Organizers at 9 Entertainment have already filed papers to the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation, the manager of state-built sporting facilities, to rent the Jamsil Olympic Stadium in southern Seoul on May 28 for the potential concert.

``Renting the venue is a process we have to go through when preparing for the performance of any artist. We are in talks to land (McCartney’s) concert here, although the agreement isn’t finalized yet,’’ said an official from 9 Entertainment.

A representative from the Korean unit of the Universal Music International Group, McCartney’s label, said he had received no information from headquarters about a potential performance here.

``The talks for setting up concerts usually take place between the artist and management people,’’ he said.

``We haven’t heard anything official, so we aren’t in a position to confirm this.’’

Beatles fans here expressed disappointment last year when McCartney included Japan in his touring destination to promote his latest album, ``New,’’ but not Korea.

As a member of the Beatles, McCartney has been credited for writing many of the band’s iconic songs along with the late John Lennon, such as ``Hey Jude,’’ ``Yesterday’’ and ``Let It Be.’’

McCartney was knighted in 1997 by Queen Elizabeth II for his lifetime contribution to culture and humanitarian work.