BTS Fans Face $2,250 Hotel Surges—But Free Temple Stays Are Coming

[Herald Economy = Reporter Na Eun-jung] Temples in Busan and South Gyeongsang Province are stepping in to offer lodging to international visitors during BTS’s Busan concerts.

On the 22nd, the Korea Buddhist Cultural Foundation announced that temples across the Busan–Gyeongnam area will open templestay spaces for ARMYs before and after the “BTS World Tour: Arirang IN BUSAN” concerts scheduled for June 12–13.

Eight temples will participate: Beomeosa, Naewonjeongsa, Hongbeopsa and Seonamsa in Busan; Daegwangsa and Seongjusa in Changwon; Tongdosa in Yangsan; and Pyochungsa in Miryang.

The temples will use templestay facilities and other available on-site spaces as accommodations. They’ll also offer meals and opportunities to experience temple culture. Each temple will decide independently whether to provide stays free of charge or for a fee.

Organizers said they may arrange interpretation services for foreign fans if needed. They also emphasized that, as places of religious practice, temples require guests to follow check-in and check-out times and communal living rules.

Venerable Jeong-o, head monk of Beomeosa, which will offer templestays free of charge, said, “We must not allow excessive selfishness to tarnish the warm culture Busan residents have built or to undermine Korea’s dignity. We will wholeheartedly welcome guests so they can stay safely and comfortably and leave with good memories of Korea.”

Beomeosa will provide free room and board to 20 foreign visitors each day from June 11–14. Seonamsa will host 15 people from June 11–13, and Hongbeopsa will provide lodging for 69 people from June 12–14.

The Korea Buddhist Cultural Foundation called the BTS concerts an important cultural event that brings fans from around the world to Korea and Busan. It said the support aims to ease lodging burdens and let visitors experience the temples’ hospitality and spirit of sharing.

With next month’s BTS shows approaching, accommodation prices near venues in Busan have surged—reaching as high as 3,000,000 KRW (about $2,250)—drawing criticism for price gouging. In response, Busan city has launched a special crackdown on illegal activity at lodgings around event venues and tourist sites through June 15.

The city’s special judicial police said enforcement will focus on violations of the Public Health Management Act, including unregistered lodging operations (such as officetels and private homes) advertised on shared-accommodation platforms, failure to post rate charts at reception, and not honoring posted rates. The city vowed stern measures against offenders, from criminal charges to administrative sanctions.