K-pop icon’s popular summer concert proved to be a major boost to local economy, officials say
Consumer spending saw an uptick of 23 percent across Sokcho, Gangwon Province, on the day K-pop icon Psy held a leg of his annual “Summer Swag” concert series in the city, data showed Thursday.
More than 7.5 billion won ($5.5 million) was spent on July 26, an increase of more than 23 percent from a week earlier, according to a joint analysis of telecommunications and consumption data by Sokcho City, KT and Korea University’s Center for Digital Innovation.
Psy, known for his global megahit “Gangnam Style,” held a concert at Sokcho Sports Complex that day, attended by 23,855 people. Of the attendees, 88 percent (about 21,000) traveled from outside Sokcho, the analysis showed. Some 66.5 percent of them came from the Seoul metropolitan area.
About 52 percent of attendees were in their 20s and 30s.
Some 22.3 percent of visitors from outside Seokcho stayed for more than a day after the concert, suggesting that the concert encouraged visitors to book accommodations and spend more time in the city, the data showed.
Sokcho was among the nine cities on Psy’s “Summer Swag” concert tour, which began in Incheon on June 28. Each stop of this year’s run has reportedly drawn between 20,000 and 30,000 fans, including about 30,000 in Incheon, another 30,000 in Uijeongbu on July 5, and 67,000 over three days in Gwacheon from July 18 to 20, according to news reports.
Launched in 2011, “Summer Swag” has become one of Korea’s signature summer concert brands, most known for drenching the entire audience with giant water cannons, sprinklers and water trucks.
The latest analysis confirms its positive impact on the local economy, which Seokcho’s officials welcomed with enthusiasm.
“We learned (from the analysis) that major concerts and festivals held outside the capital can attract nationwide attention and play a key role in revitalizing local tourism,” said Sokcho Mayor Lee Byeong-seon.
“We will keep building a sustainable city brand by promoting tourism policies that showcase Sokcho’s distinct charm and character.”
Typically held from late June through late August, Psy’s summer concert tour makes headlines each year for the celebrity guests he invites. At this year’s opening concert in Incheon on June 28, K-pop icon G-Dragon and Blackpink’s Rose joined Psy on stage.
This year’s series staged 16 performances in nine cities, including Seoul, Incheon, Daejeon, Sokcho and Busan. The tour wraps up this Sunday in Gwangju.
Meanwhile, last year’s tour, which ran from June 29 to Aug. 31 across nine cities, drew 450,000 total visitors.
cjh
