BTS' fans express anger as Busan authorities refuse to pay for free concert; HYBE reveals sponsorship plans

Following location and rules issues, another issue has arisen regarding BTS' upcoming free concert. Busan's government and the Expo Committee allegedly do not have the funds to cover up for the free concert and expect HYBE to take care of it. Read on to know more.
BTS

BTS

There appears to be another hurdle in the way of BTS' free concert in October. From location concerns to issues with rules and regulations, nothing seems to be going right. And now there is an even bigger issue regarding the free concert's finances.
On September 7 KST, it was reported that Busan city’s authorities allegedly claimed they do not have the funding to cover up for BTS' free concert. If you weren't aware, the seven member boy group is set to hold a free concert in Busan on October 15 this year as a part of South Korea’s campaign for the World Expo 2030.

Following their appointment as the ambassadors for the 2030 Busan World Expo, the group and their label have been in contact with the Busan government to arrange this free concert. A free concert would mean that the audience would not have to pay for tickets. It was assumed that BTS' label and the Busan government would bare the costs together, but that doesn't seem to be the case.
According to reports, officials from the business and cultural circles stated that 7 billion won would be needed to fund the free concert but the city does not have the funds for that. An official from the business world participating in the bid committee allegedly said, "Since it's a BTS performance, a lot of money will be spent on stage equipment."
The concert was allegedly supposed to be hosted and supervised by BTS’ label, HYBE, and sponsored by the city of Busan with the Busan Expo Bidding Committee also partially involved in hosting the event.

However, an official from the Secretariat of the bidding committee allegedly stated, "I understand that HYBE will cover the cost of this event by receiving advertisements from companies."
Additionally, an official from the Busan Metropolitan City Induction Planning Team claimed to say, "As HYBE is the organizer, inquiries regarding cost should be answered by them,” adding that Busan city has done its duty by providing transportation and arranging for accommodations.
As a result, this has angered ARMY, who state that the government used BTS' name and is now backing down from its responsibility. Take a look at what fans have to say:

As of now, HYBE plans to engage in sponsorship deals. In response to media outlets' inquiries, the label said, "HYBE and many other companies are participating as official sponsors in the effort to attract the expo." However, the names of companies participating were not disclosed and many major groups, such as Samsung, SK, Hyundai, LG, Lotte and CJ said they had not received sponsorship requests and that they did not intend to support these costs.

In the end, it is highly likely that companies will sponsor the event or that it will be settled by HYBE. In the event that corporate sponsorship is not possible, HYBE will have to cover the remaining costs or simply cancel the concert.
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