Hideo Okuda, a Japanese novelist famous for the bestseller 'Public Swing,' has an essay titled 'Rock and Roll in the Countryside' (2015, Eunhaeng Na Mu). It tells the story of the author himself, who spent his boyhood in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, from 1972 to 1975. The tale of a countryside boy struggling as a rock and roll enthusiast is presented in the author's unique concise and comic style.
At that time, I read the manuscript before regular readers to write a recommendation for this book, and envy and jealousy welled up in my chest every time I turned the page. A 2015 Korean adult envies a 1975 Japanese boy? It makes sense. This is because Japan had been overflowing with the benefits of Anglo-American pop music since the 1960s. The Beatles never came to Korea, but they visited Japan. The late John Lennon, a core member, even had a Japanese wife (Yoko Ono). The gap between Korea and Japan in the 1970s was as wide as the difference between continents due to the Straits. During the military dictatorship in Korea, there was intense pre-censorship of popular songs and pop music, making it extremely difficult to obtain a proper foreign record. For the boy and youth music enthusiasts in Korea at the time, the 'indirect experience' of listening to the Billboard stories occasionally coming on the radio and jotting them down was the most intense musical experience.
But what about Japan? The difference can be gauged by just a few album titles. Let's say we are picking the best live album of hard rock in the world from the 1970s. Nine out of ten global rock enthusiasts would probably nominate this album first. 'Made in Japan' (1972) by the British band Deep Purple. It's an album filled with the exhilarating performances of classic songs like 'Highway Star' and 'Smoke on the Water.' The title 'Made in Japan' does not mean that the paper wrapping the record or other assembly materials were produced in Japan. It simply means that it is a live album 'made in Japan.' It was recorded live at the Budokan in Tokyo and Festival Hall in Osaka from August 15 to 17, 1972. It's astonishing in many respects. First, the best rock band of the time came to Japan to perform in multiple cities. Second, the sound and recording system were fitting for Deep Purple. Deep Purple was on a 'world tour' at the time. They performed in numerous countries and cities, but the definitive edition came from Japan.
The author of 'Rock and Roll in the Countryside,' Hideo Okuda, was right in the middle of such a melting pot. Although he expressed in his essay that he envied Tokyo and Osaka, which were benefiting from the 'Nihon' concerts, I couldn't help but envy him throughout my reading. After all, he could take a bus or train and witness the peak performances of 'Beck, Bogert & Appice' (the trio led by renowned guitarist Jeff Beck) with his own eyes.
Korean concerts jumped from 160 in 2023 to 389 in 2024
In 2015, Korean adults like me, who envied Japanese boys 40 years ago, have now become indifferent to such jealousy. This is because from the late 2010s, a situation similar to 20th-century Japan has emerged right here in Korea. Look at Kanye West, the top-tier American hip-hop artist mentioned in the last session. His concert in Goyang City, not even in the capital Seoul, made headlines globally after being shared on the internet. This year's lineup is also impressive. In April, Coldplay will perform six times in Goyang City. In October, the reunited Britpop kings, OA, will come to town. In recent years, we have been able to catch the ongoing concerts of current top pop stars from the U.S. and the UK, such as Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Dua Lipa, all from the comfort of our own living rooms.
An analysis of the Korean Popular Music Integrated Information System (KOPIS) revealed that a total of 389 popular music concerts will be held from January 1 to December 31, 2024. This means that there is more than one concert a day. The total ticket sales amount to about 64.3 billion won. In terms of quantity, this figure is more than double that of 160 concerts in 2023. Even in terms of money, it shows a significant increase from approximately 43.1 billion won in 2023.
The concentration of events in Seoul is also decreasing. When looking at the number of concerts, Seoul still leads the market with 127 in 2023 and 268 in 2024, while Gyeonggi and Incheon rose sharply from 7 in 2023 to 48 in 2024, and Gyeongsang Province (including Busan) increased from 11 to 47.
Why is there a 'Seoul Rush' of foreign pop stars? It fundamentally lies in the global promotion and publicity of Korean culture. Amid the K-Culture boom represented by the drama 'Squid Game,' the film 'Parasite,' and music groups BTS and Blackpink, people around the world perceive Korea and Seoul as a leading hub of hipster culture. The long-standing image of Japan as a mystical land 'Jipangu,' which Westerners admired, is now facing fierce challenges from Korea in the 21st century. Since the late 2010s, Korea has risen to be among the top choices for Asian business trips by Western corporation representatives. The story that many employees answer 'I'm too curious about Korea' when asked whether they would go to Japan or Korea is now a common rumor heard in dealings with global corporations.
Social power also plays a role. This has been first proven in the film industry. Numerous Hollywood blockbuster films, including franchises from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have rushed to make Seoul the city for their global premieres. In July 2024, Hollywood superstars Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman took to the stage at the water-themed music festival 'Waterbomb Seoul' armed with water guns to promote 'Deadpool and Wolverine.' Although the film market is facing hardships, their investment in the Korean market is significant.
In the music market, social power has an even greater impact than in film. It's no longer a recent story that the short-form viral platform 'TikTok' has emerged as a new hit song factory, surpassing television and radio. It is not without reason that Kanye West performed a medley of 77 songs for 2 hours and 30 minutes in Korea and uploaded the entire concert video to his official YouTube channel. Korea and Seoul are emerging as the hubs of the East Asian concert market. They are 'hot places' frequently visited by music fans not only from nearby Japan and China but also from Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. The K-pop boom underlies this trend.
The 'Inspire Arena', which opened in December 2023 in Incheon Yeongjongdo with a capacity of 15,000 seats, is a project that perceives this trend. Adjacent to Incheon International Airport and linked with hotel and resort facilities, it has already seen packed seats within just one year of opening with large-scale concerts featuring popular domestic singers and idol groups, as well as international artists like Maroon 5 and Linkin Park. The concert of the Japanese idol group Naniwa Danshi, scheduled for January 11-12, 2025, supports the argument of being an 'Asian concert hub.' It has been reported that the concert, which has low domestic recognition except for its core fans, gathered audiences from Japan and across Asia. These attendees are willing to take a flight, watch the concert, and continue to enjoy 'hip' Korean tourism and even K-pop tourism.
Goyang City, which has attracted Kanye West and secured Coldplay and OA, is fiercely leveraging its accessibility to Incheon International Airport and proximity to Seoul.
The '2024 Goyang Cultural Arts Policy Forum', held at Goyang Sports Complex in December 2024, had the subtitle 'Goyang City's New Challenge Towards Becoming a Global Concert Hub.' When I asked the mayor of Goyang Special City, Lee Dong-hwan, 'Which artist would you most like to host a concert in Goyang City in the future?' he replied, 'I want to host a concert for BTS's military discharge commemorative performance.'
Seoul, Incheon, Goyang... There was a time when Korean music fans only dreamed of New York, London, and Tokyo. Now, perhaps the battle for a 'global concert hub' has started domestically.