As BTS prepares to kick off its world tour with a three-day concert run from Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at Goyang Stadium, the choice of venue may prompt a certain question among some — why not Seoul? For an act long associated with landmark stages in the Korean capital, performing outside city limits can seem unexpected. The decision, however, points to a broader shift in Korea's concert landscape, where the stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, has emerged as one of the few venues capable of meeting the scale of K-pop today. Goyang Stadium, located in the mid-sized city 20 kilometers northwest of Seoul, has become the default home of large-scale live music in the Seoul metropolitan area, a transformation that has unfolded quickly and largely out of necessity. In 2025 alone, the stadium hosted 18 major concerts, drawing 700,000 attendees and generating roughly 10.9 billion won ($8.2 million) in revenue. The roster includes G-Dragon, who launched his first solo tour in eight years there in March, followed by British rock band Coldplay in April. K-pop girl group BLACKPINK opened its