Do not go gentle into that good night, old age should burn and rave at close of day; Rage, rage against the dying of the light, though wise men at their end know dark is right, because their words had forked no lightning they, do not go gentle into that good night.
Korea allocates $8.6 mil. to retrofit regional stadiums for K-pop concerts
BTS performs during the "BTS World Tour ARIRANG in Busan" concert at Busan Asiad Main Stadium, June 13. Courtesy of BIGHIT MUSIC Entertainment
By Jhoo Dong-chan
Korea’s culture ministry said Tuesday that it will spend 12 billion won ($8.6 million) this year to transform regional sports arenas and multipurpose facilities into makeshift K-pop concert venues, addressing a chronic shortage of specialized performance spaces outside the capital.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will select six underutilized regional facilities with a capacity of 1,000 seats or more — one in each of six provinces and regions outside the immediate Seoul metropolitan area. Each facility will receive up to 2 billion won in government funding, but they must provide matching funds from other sources.
The initiative comes as the global explosion of K-pop runs into a stark logistical bottleneck at home. While high-octane choreography and meticulous sound engineering define the genre abroad, domestic concerts are frequently staged in municipal gyms or athletic stadiums lacking basic acoustic systems and proper staging support.
"This new project is a crucial first step in expanding the performance infrastructure to match the global status of K-pop," said Choi Sung-hee, director-general of the ministry’s Content and Media Industry Bureau.
The government-funded makeovers will focus on high-impact retrofits, including the installation of acoustic materials, adjustable seating, professional stage lighting and dressing rooms. For sports venues, the budget will also cover the cost of turf-protection systems to ensure arenas can easily pivot back to hosting athletic events.
To ensure immediate return on investment, winning venues are required to host a ticketed concert upon completing the renovations.
Beyond fixing a logistical headache for the music industry, Seoul views the project through an economic lens. Officials hope that establishing high-quality venues across the provinces will decentralize Korea's highly concentrated cultural scene, drawing foreign tourists deeper into the countryside and stimulating regional economies.
The ministry will accept applications from local governments, public corporations and universities through July 24.
This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.