Seoul breaks ground on city's first K-Pop concert hall 'Seoul Arena'

The long-anticipated "Seoul Arena" project, the city’s first major K-pop-focused multi-cultural performance venue, is gaining renewed momentum. On Tuesday, Seoul City announced it held a groundbreaking ceremony for the "Seoul Arena Complex Cultural Facility Private Investment Project" at the planned construction site in Changdong, Dobong-gu, Seoul.

Seoul City agreed with Kakao in April 2022 to establish the Seoul Arena. Subsequently, in June, they formed a special purpose company (SPC) to implement the private investment project, officially starting the project on November 30 last year. However, the project faced delays when controversies arose during Kakao's selection of a construction company, postponing the groundbreaking ceremony originally scheduled for mid-December last year. A city official stated, "All issues raised last year have been resolved, and the project is now proceeding normally."

The Seoul Arena is set to be built on a 50,000-square-meter site near Changdong and Nowon Stations, featuring two underground floors and six above-ground levels with a total floor area of 119,096 square meters. The facility will include South Korea’s first large-scale arena concert hall with a seating capacity of 18,269, a medium-sized concert hall with 2,010 seats, seven movie theaters, and various industrial and office spaces. With an estimated cost of 312 billion won, the project aims to be completed by March 2027. Seoul City will provide the land, while the Seoul Arena will handle the facility's construction, operation, and maintenance.

The arena will have state-of-the-art architectural acoustics and a versatile stage setup explicitly tailored for popular music performances. Additionally, the area’s accessibility is expected to improve significantly with the future establishment of the GTX-C metropolitan express railway line and the undergrounding of the Dongbu arterial road, making it easier for domestic and international K-pop fans to visit. The city projects that the Seoul Arena will attract 2.5 million visitors annually and create new jobs within the performance and cultural industries.

"The Seoul Arena will become a landmark in the northeastern region, leading the golden age of Gangbuk and representing the vibrant city of Seoul as a mecca for Hallyu tourism," Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon said. “We look forward to the day when K-pop fans from around the world can enjoy performances at the Seoul Arena and ask for your continued interest and support."


송진호 jino@donga.com