BTS’s big comeback, “ARIRANG,” couldn’t be completed with a showstopping live concert. That’s why BTS made history with their live performance in Gwanghwamun Square, which brought a massive 22,000~26,000 attendees to the show in South Korea.
Since the announcement of the live performance, the whole Seoul area has been prepared to receive BTS. HYBE requested permission from the Korea Heritage Service to film and distribute via the media national monuments such as Gyeongbokgung and Sungnyemun, and the City of Seoul employed over r 6,700 police officers and 3,400 safety officers to regulate traffic and safety measures. So, how much did the BTS concert really cost?
FIRST LIVE PERFORMANCE OF "SWIM" 🌊 #BTSLiveonNetflix #BTS_ARIRANG #BTS_SWIM #KEEPSWIMMING pic.twitter.com/yJ3wX3FPtw
— netflix⁷ (@netflix) March 21, 2026
On March 21, South Korean media outlets reported that HYBE Labels paid just around $ 60,000 to host BTS’s comeback. The payment included usage fees measured per square meter as well as permission fees for the filming and media distribution of national monuments like Gyeongbokgung and Sungnyemun.
According to a representative from the City of Seoul, the total fee charged to HYBE labels for the usage of Gwanghwamun Square was $20,000, and the permission to use monuments was $41,000. Surprisingly, the South Korean government spends far larger amounts on infrastructure and resources for the massive public events, which became one of the major moments in history both for South Korea and BTS.
