Fans preparing to attend BTS’s concerts in South Korea are facing difficulties with reserving lodging for their visit. Particularly, fans planning to attend the group’s concert in Busan this June are reporting that their reservations are abruptly canceled and have found dramatic price hikes at local accommodations.
On January 26, the Busan Metropolitan Government said that it has received over 90 complaints through the Korea Tourism Organization’s QR code reporting system, many of which allege price gouging by accommodation operators.
One fan from Daegu shared their experience on social media, claiming that a hotel requested the cancellation of an already confirmed reservation. The fan wrote, “What should be an exciting experience has turned into overwhelming stress over finding a place to stay.“
The individual said they suspected the hotel was attempting to resell the room at a higher price and reported the matter to the booking platform’s customer service team. “If nothing works out, I’ll just sleep in my car,” the post added.
Similar accounts have surfaced online, with travelers alleging that some operators pressured guests to cancel existing bookings or raised nightly rates by as much as tenfold.
A Busan city official explained, “The issue appears to have escalated following the announcement of BTS’s concert dates and venues on January 13. In many cases, lodging providers claim reservations were made in error due to system malfunctions or staff mistakes, but each complaint is currently under review.”
A survey of major booking platforms shows that hotel rooms in Busan during the June 12–13 concert period are listed at prices ranging from 600,000 KRW to 700,000 KRW per night (approx. 420 USD to 490 USD). One guesthouse that typically charges around 70,000 KRW per night in February was found offering the same room for 600,000 KRW in June.
An employee at a lodging business in Busanjin District denied canceling confirmed reservations. “That would be excessive,” the employee said. “However, room rates do naturally increase during major events such as BTS concerts.”
The surge in accommodation demand has also affected other cities on the tour schedule. Hotels near Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul are already fully booked ahead of the group’s March concerts, with reservations spilling over into nearby areas such as Myeongdong and Euljiro.
In Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, where BTS is set to perform in April, all 1,200 rooms near Goyang Sports Complex have been reserved. Booking platforms list nightly rates in the area between 600,000 KRW and 730,000 KRW.
Amid growing criticism, the Busan Metropolitan Government held a joint meeting Friday with district offices, consumer advocacy groups, and hospitality industry representatives from seven districts, including Haeundae, Suyeong, and Busanjin.
Measures under review include expanding the use of public lodging facilities, offering incentives to businesses that maintain reasonable pricing, and temporarily opening university dormitories and public training centers during large-scale events.
President Lee Jae Myung previously weighed in on the issue in a Jan. 16 social media post, condemning excessive lodging prices in Busan as “a malicious abuse that destroys market order and causes serious harm to the public.” He added that the practice must be “eradicated,” prompting central government ministries to begin preparing countermeasures.
Officials from 10 government agencies, including the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Justice, convened on Friday to discuss stronger coordination between central and local governments and steps to curb prices that far exceed the level of service provided.
Authorities said a comprehensive set of measures aimed at preventing price gouging is expected to be announced within the first quarter of this year.
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