BTS Busan Concert Delayed 75 Minutes — HYBE Issues Official Apology
- BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUSAN opened 75 minutes late on June 12, 2026
- 50,000+ fans were unable to enter on time due to crowd and logistics failures
- HYBE posted a formal apology on Weverse the same night
- Causes: on-site confusion, fan gift bottlenecks, merchandise delays
- HYBE pledged full operational improvements for the June 13 anniversary show
It was supposed to be one of the most emotional nights in recent K-pop history — BTS returning to the stage at Busan Asiad Main Stadium for the first time since their iconic 2022 Expo bid concert, just one day before the group’s 13th debut anniversary. Instead, the opening night of BTS WORLD TOUR ‘ARIRANG’ IN BUSAN became the talk of the fandom for all the wrong reasons.
The show, scheduled to begin at 7:00 PM KST on June 12, 2026, did not start until 8:15 PM KST — a delay of 1 hour and 15 minutes. HYBE, the group’s agency and event organizer, issued a public apology on Weverse before the night was over.
What Happened That Night
Tens of thousands of ARMY — many having traveled from overseas — arrived at Busan Asiad Main Stadium only to find themselves stuck in long queues well past the scheduled showtime. Social media filled rapidly with fan accounts describing the chaos outside the venue, with many reporting they had not even entered the stadium by 7:00 PM.
HYBE’s Explanation: 3 Root Causes
In its official statement, HYBE identified three compounding factors that led to the 75-minute delay:
HYBE’s Official Apology — Full Statement
HYBE published the following statement on Weverse on the night of June 12, 2026:
Why This Concert Mattered So Much
The stakes for this particular show were uniquely high, which is exactly why the operational failure stung so deeply for fans.
Busan Asiad Main Stadium is emotionally loaded territory for the BTS fandom. It was the same venue where BTS performed their landmark 2030 Busan World Expo Bid Support Concert in October 2022 — the members’ final group performance before all seven began their mandatory military service. Returning here for the ‘ARIRANG’ world tour represented a full-circle moment of reunion.
The two-date Busan run — June 12 and June 13 — also overlapped directly with BTS’s 13th debut anniversary (June 13, 2013). For ARMY, attending Day 2 in particular was not just a concert; it was a celebration. The delay on Day 1 cast a shadow over what should have been pure joy.
All seats for both nights at the 50,000-capacity Asiad Main Stadium were sold out, drawing fans from across South Korea and from abroad — many of whom had booked travel and accommodation specifically for this weekend.
“The first night of BTS’s return to Busan should have been a triumphant homecoming. The 75-minute delay — and the chaos outside the gates — was a reminder that even the biggest names in K-pop are not immune to logistical failures at scale.”
Day 2 & What Comes Next
Following HYBE’s apology, the agency confirmed it would overhaul on-site entry procedures and gift distribution workflows before the June 13 anniversary concert. Early reports from ARMY who attended Day 2 suggest the second show ran considerably more smoothly.
BTS’s ‘ARIRANG’ world tour continues across Asia, North America, Europe, and South America through 2027 — with a full 79-concert schedule already largely sold out. How HYBE manages large-venue crowd logistics in upcoming tour stops will be closely watched by the fandom.