Foreign fans who attended BTS's full-group reunion concert demonstrated overwhelming purchasing power in high-value sectors such as medical services and accommodation. However, a simultaneous decline in domestic spending meant the actual trickle-down effect on local commercial districts fell short of initial expectations, an analysis showed.
The Seoul Economic Daily, in collaboration with BC Card, analyzed consumer spending data from June 19 through the concert date of June 21. Total transactions across major Seoul commercial districts linked to the event rose 4.5% compared with the same period a year earlier on a same-day-of-week basis. The analysis covered approximately 364,000 visitors to five key zones: Jongno 1·2·3·4-ga-dong, Sajik·Samcheong·Gahoe-dong, Hangang-ro-dong in Yongsan-gu, Nonhyeon 1-dong in Gangnam-gu, and Myeongdong in Jung-gu.
The core driver of the commercial boom was high-value spending led by foreign fans. Foreign card transactions during the concert period surged 36.7% year-on-year. In contrast, total domestic spending actually fell 6.4%. Foreign visitors spent an average of 115,190 won per person — roughly three times the 38,910 won average for domestic consumers — reflecting a distinctly high-value consumption pattern.
Myeongdong, the commercial hub behind Gwanghwamun, served as a "base camp" for foreign fans and reaped overwhelming benefits. Total transactions in Myeongdong climbed 11.3% year-on-year. Sales in eyewear shops soared 2,583%, traditional Korean medicine clinics 1,582%, pharmacies 640%, and cosmetics stores 227%. Album sales at physical retail outlets also jumped 64% from the previous week, driven by demand from fans eager to own physical copies.
The spending trail expanded along a so-called "ARMY Road" connecting the artist's past and present. Denser spending occurred in Yongsan and Gangnam rather than in the Jongno area where the concert was held. Per-person spending by foreigners was particularly high in Hangang-ro-dong in Yongsan-gu — home to HYBE's headquarters — at 354,590 won, and in Nonhyeon 1-dong in Gangnam-gu — where BTS spent their trainee years — at 419,660 won. Foreign visitors in these areas spent generously on accommodation, beauty services, and clothing purchases. By contrast, per-person foreign spending across the Jongno area remained in the 100,000 to 140,000 won range.
By sector, the scope of fandom spending expanded significantly into medical services, with foreign visitors receiving cosmetic procedures or purchasing herbal medicine prescriptions at nearby clinics. In the Jongno 1–4-ga area, foreign spending at medical clinics — including dermatology and plastic surgery offices — posted an exceptional 1,475% year-on-year increase during the event period. In Yongsan and Myeongdong, sales at traditional Korean medicine clinics surged 995% and 1,582%, respectively, compared with the same period last year.
Traditional cultural consumption reflecting a desire to experience Korean beauty was also prominent. Demand was concentrated in hanbok (traditional Korean clothing) rental shops in the Sajik, Samcheong, and Gahoe-dong area near Gyeongbokgung Palace. Foreign transactions in the district rose 83.3%, while hanbok rental sales jumped 103%, demonstrating the fervor for cultural experiences. "This BTS concert, driven especially by foreign visitors, went beyond content consumption to generate real transaction growth, effectively revitalizing local commercial districts," said Oh Sung-soo, head of BC Card's data business division.
Meanwhile, an estimated 104,000 people gathered for the BTS concert held in the Gwanghwamun area the previous day, according to organizer HYBE. The figure combines real-time mobile network connection data from Korea's three major carriers with estimated numbers of budget mobile users and foreign attendees.