Ahead of the BTS concert to be held in Busan on the 12th and 13th, the government moved to secure "alternative lodging" as a response to lodging price gouging, but as of a week before the show, it appears that not all lodging assignments have been finalized. For those who have not been assigned, they still do not know where they will stay.
Through its "status of implementation to eradicate price gouging and future plans," the government said it had secured paid and free alternative lodging facilities in the Busan area, including university, religious, public agency training centers, and youth training facilities. The alternative lodging is provided only for foreigners.
As of the 4th, the government prepared facilities that can accommodate about 2,000 people. The government and Busan City said they "plan to continue securing additional facilities until before the concert."
However, it turned out that less than half of the currently secured alternative lodging has actually been assigned. According to Busan City, as of the 4th, assignments were completed for 846 people at Geumryeonsan and Gudeok Youth Training Centers, Naewonjeongsa, and Busan Metropolitan Corporation (BMC) Arpina.
Temples such as Beomeosa, Hongbeopsa, and Seonamsa, as well as churches and cathedrals, and 243 people's worth at Busan National University, Pukyong National University, and Kosin University finished accepting applications last week, but final assignment notices have not yet been issued. The remaining lodging is understood to be awaiting the application process. It means that many of the alternative lodgings the government said it secured have not reached the assignment stage even a week before the concert.
A government official said, "We are still identifying alternative lodging in Busan," and noted, "We are trying to complete confirmation notices for lodging as much as possible next week."
Less than a week remains before the BTS concert. From the perspective of tourists who need to move after finalizing transportation and lodging, the more the alternative lodging guidance is delayed, the greater the anxiety, critics say. Waiting to see if they will be assigned free lodging may lead some to cancel existing reservations, while others may give up applying for alternative lodging and accept expensive accommodations.
Dissatisfaction is also emerging within the government. A government official who requested anonymity said, "The intent to eradicate price gouging is good, but there is the question of how far the government should support a concert hosted by private corporations," adding, "There could be issues of fairness between those who receive government-provided lodging and those who do not, and there could also be damages from reservation cancellations for owners who raised prices within the normal range."
Meanwhile, to eradicate lodging price gouging in nearby areas during the BTS concert period, the government also announced measures to expand transportation and to screen late-night movies at CGV, Lotte Cinema, and other theaters near the venue, in addition to securing alternative lodging.
In a survey conducted in February by the Korea Fair Trade Commission and the Korea Consumer Agency (KCA), lodging rates during the week of the BTS Busan concert rose to an average of 2.4 times the level of the weekends before and after. The average price for a one-night reservation on the concert weekend (June 13–14) was 433,999 won, higher than the previous week (240,320 won) and the following week (231,180 won). Some lodgings saw rates jump by as much as 7.5 times.