[Edaily Reporter YUN GI BACK ] “We spent months preparing to secure the handball arena, but the performance was ultimately canceled due to the aftermath of the protests. Jamsil is closed, and alternative indoor venues are fully booked. We’re in a situation where we can’t put on a show even if we want to.”
With the “backbone” of Seoul’s medium- and large-scale performance venues simultaneously shut down, the performing arts industry is scrambling to find alternative venues. This comes after the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium suspended operations as of the 21st of last month, and now even the Olympic Park Handball Arena (Ticketlink Live Arena) is facing operational disruptions due to the prolonged protests blocking nearby polling stations. With Seoul Arena not set to open until July of next year, the performing arts industry faces a grueling “venue drought” lasting approximately 39 weeks.

◇542 concerts with over 5,000 seats last year… Up to 234 shows could vanish over 39 weeks

According to the performing arts industry on the 2nd, the gap left by the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium and Handball Stadium is expected to continue until the Seoul Arena opens next July. An analysis by Edaily—assuming both venues host performances for three days each week (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday)—shows that up to 234 performance opportunities will be lost over 39 weeks. Even using conservative estimates of 6,000 seats at Jamsil and 5,000 seats at the Handball Stadium, at least 1.29 million seats will be lost.
According to statistics from the Korea Performing Arts Information System (KOPIS), there were 542 pop music performances held at venues with 5,000 or more seats last year, averaging about 45 per month. Converting the maximum 234 lost performances at the two venues to a monthly average yields about 26, which is more than half of last year’s monthly average for performances at venues with 5,000 or more seats.
This year alone, the number of domestic and international artists making their debut—or set to make their debut—at medium- to large-scale venues such as K-SPO Dome far exceeds 10. As the scale of artists’ performances grows, the market is expanding rapidly. Last year, domestic pop music ticket sales reached 981.7 billion won, approaching 1 trillion won, and recorded approximately 452.7 billion won in the first half of this year.
The problem is that infrastructure expansion is failing to keep pace with the growing demand for concerts. When Seoul Arena opens next July, it will add a new 28,000-seat main venue and a 7,000-seat medium-sized venue, but there is no clear solution to fill the gap until then.
An industry insider stated, “The current venue shortage has gone beyond simply struggling to secure a few popular venues,” adding, “While the number of performing artists and audiences has increased, the spaces and conditions to accommodate them have not kept pace, effectively stalling performances.” The insider further pointed out, “If the pent-up demand for performances this winter carries over into next year, the venue shortage could worsen,” and emphasized, “We must now view the lack of performance venues as a bottleneck in the industry’s infrastructure.”

◇79 venues in the Seoul metropolitan area with 5,000 or more seats…only 23 are indoor
If we expand the scope beyond Seoul to the greater Seoul metropolitan area, there are quite a few options in terms of numbers. According to the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association, there are a total of 79 performance venues capable of accommodating 5,000 or more people: 19 in Seoul, 48 in Gyeonggi Province, and 12 in Incheon. However, when narrowed down to indoor venues, the number drops to just 23. Of these, 12 are used as home stadiums for professional sports teams and are subject to game schedules, while the remainder includes university gymnasiums, private facilities, and convention centers. If outdoor venues during the winter are also excluded, the number of venues that production companies can actually choose from becomes far smaller than the raw figures suggest.
An official from a performance planning agency, who is looking for venues in the greater Seoul area after being unable to secure one in Seoul, said, “Since it’s a winter performance, we rule out outdoor stadiums from the start.” They added, “Even if an indoor venue has a capacity of 10,000, that doesn’t mean we can sell that many tickets. In some places, the number of sellable seats drops to about half once the stage and equipment are set up.”
When costs are factored in, the options narrow even further. K-Sport Dome and the Handball Stadium charge a 6% ticket commission based on the total face value of paid tickets, while Gocheok Sky Dome and Seoul World Cup Stadium apply an 8% fee on ticket revenue for cultural and artistic events. In contrast, it is not uncommon for major public sports facilities outside Seoul to charge around 10%. Ansan charges 10% of total ticket revenue; Bucheon and Seongnam charge 10% for cultural and artistic events; and Incheon’s municipal sports facilities also charge 10% for cultural and performance events with 6,000 or more seats.
Some facilities outside Seoul face greater challenges in terms of audience accessibility and attracting attendees, coupled with rising transportation and setup costs; with revenue-based usage fees also high, it is difficult for them to break even. Goyang City lowered the usage fee rate at the Goyang Sports Complex from 10% to 6% to attract large-scale performances in 2024, aiming to ease the burden on production companies and increase the appeal of holding events there.

◇Japan Covers Up to Half of Production Costs… Fostering Mutual Growth with the Performance Industry
Industry insiders believe that if it is difficult to immediately lower usage fees under local ordinances, the central government should provide support for actual performance costs, such as venue rental fees and equipment rental fees. Ko Ki-ho, president of the Korea Popular Music Performance Industry Association, said, “Since there are limits to continuously building new performance venues, it is important to ensure that actual performances can take place in existing stadiums and gymnasiums.”
The government has also begun efforts to increase the utilization of existing facilities for performances. This year, it is investing 12 billion won to upgrade performance facilities at sports and multipurpose venues across six regions nationwide, with the Goyang Sports Complex included in the Seoul metropolitan area. This project aims to increase the capacity for popular music performances by reinforcing performance infrastructure, such as adjustable seating and sound systems.
However, the industry is calling for efforts to go a step beyond facility improvements and address the costs involved in actually staging performances. Such support is already being provided overseas. A prime example is Tokyo, Japan. The Arts Council Tokyo, an agency under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, provides funding covering up to half of the production costs for live performances—including not only classical music but also pop music—through its “Tokyo Live & Stage Support” program.
Ultimately, what matters is not the number of venues, but how many stages production companies actually have to choose from. Chairman Ko stated, “As the K-pop market grows, the performance infrastructure must keep pace with the industry’s growth,” adding, “If performances are held consistently in a region, audience turnout and consumer spending will follow, and the venue itself will gain the power to attract future performances. We must also consider how to connect existing facilities to the performance market.”