K-pop boy band BTS / Courtesy of BigHit Music
The Korea Heritage Service (KHS) conditionally approved HYBE’s proposal to stage a large-scale “K-heritage and K-pop fusion performance” in and around some of Seoul’s most symbolic cultural heritage sites, including Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun and Sungnyemun.
The decision came Tuesday after the agency’s Cultural Heritage Committee reviewed HYBE’s request to use and film within the heritage zones for the show in March. The committee’s palaces and tombs subcommittee passed the plan with conditions and decided to form a smaller working group to address specific issues such as safety, noise and crowd management, and to further assess the potential impact on the heritage environment, according to the KHS.
HYBE, home to global K-pop powerhouse BTS, recently submitted an application seeking permission to use multiple heritage locations for a concert and a media facade event. The requested sites include areas of Gyeongbok Palace such as Geunjeongmun Gate and Heungnyemun Gate, Gwanghwamun and Woldae (stone platform) zone and surrounding walls, as well as Sungnyemun, also known as Namdaemun.
The label described Gwanghwamun as a symbolic space that represents Korean identity, saying the company aims to reaffirm BTS’ identity and express the group’s affection for Korea through the event.
A fan takes a photo of the stairs of the Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, decorated with imagery from BTS’ upcoming fifth full-length album “Arirang,” in central Seoul, Jan. 6. Yonhap
Alongside its request for heritage-site filming and production use, HYBE is also seeking permission to stage a live performance at Gwanghwamun Square, one of Seoul’s busiest public spaces, on March 21. The Seoul Metropolitan Government is expected to reach a decision by Thursday.
If both the KHS and the city government grant final approvals, this will mark the first time a specific artist or group to hold a concert at Gwanghwamun Square since its redevelopment, setting a new precedent for large-scale K-pop performances in the heart of Seoul’s historic center with major heritage sites as the backdrop and as part of a global broadcast.
The proposed performance plan includes entrances from key areas of Gyeongbok Palace toward Gwanghwamun, a live broadcast of a procession across the Gwanghwamun Woldae and a media facade projected onto the walls of Gwanghwamun during the concert.
A media facade is projected onto Gwanghwamun in this December 2023 file photo. HYBE has been conditionally granted permission to use Gyeongbok Palace, Gwanghwamun and Sungnyemun for BTS’ planned comeback performance in March. Yonhap
BTS’ planned performance is drawing added attention as it coincides with the group’s much-anticipated return as a full lineup following the members’ completion of mandatory military service. The prospect of their first reunion in years is expected to generate significant interest both in Korea and around the world, with industry observers predicting a surge in both international travel and domestic turnout as fans organize trips around rare full-group appearances and major promotional events.
HYBE also positioned the project as a statement of identity, with plans tied to the group’s new album titled “Arirang,” a nod to Korea’s best-known folk song and to themes of longing and deep affection that have long shaped BTS’ music.
BTS has previously used major heritage sites as the stage for broadcasts without public audiences. In 2020, they performed at Gyeongbok Palace’s Geunjeongjeon Hall and Gyeonghoeru Pavilion for NBC’s “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and featured Sungnyemun as the backdrop for their “Permission to Dance” performance during the 2021 Global Citizen LIVE event.