The event that the most number of foreigners seek to attend during their visit to Korea is a Big Bang concert, according to an online tickets sales service StubHub.

According to the company, the boy band‘s Seoul concert in January was the most sought-after ticket among inbound tourists in the first half of 2017. About 72 percent of the tickets for the event was purchased outside of Korea.

Big Bang (YG Entertainment)

The second most popular ticket for international travelers to Korea was a Coldplay concert in April, followed by a February BTS concert and a July SM Town Live concert.

“The K-pop phenomenon has served as a growth engine for tourism to Korea over the years and the concert scene has benefitted immensely,” said Kevin Cho, country manager at StubHub Korea.

In terms of outbound tourists from Korea, the most popular event was the so-called “El Galactico,” a match between rival football teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona of Spanish La Liga in April.

Big Bang / YG Entertainment
(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)