Busan is good

Busan Concert Hall Marks 100 Days Since Opening… Taking a Major Step Toward a “Global Cultural City” Busan

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) announced that tomorrow (27th), Busan Concert Hall, the city’s first concert hall dedicated to classical music, will mark its 100th day since opening.

The Busan Concert Hall houses a main hall with 2,011 seats and a chamber hall with 400 seats. It is also home to the first pipe organ ever installed in a non-capital region (4,423 pipes and 64 stops), making it the first classical music venue of its kind in Busan.

Since its opening on June 20, the hall has hosted 77 performances in 100 days, attracting 63,197 attendees with a booking rate of 74%, establishing a new chapter in the city’s classical music scene.

The hall’s operating rate of 60.2% and average seat occupancy rate of 84.4% significantly exceed the national average of 54.5%, reflecting Busan citizens’ strong demand for high-quality performances.

The opening festival (June 21–28) featured Artistic Director Chung Myung-whun, the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra (APO), and pianist Cho Seong-jin, with all seats sold out. The representative program, “Emperor and the Organ,” sold out in just 90 seconds, proving the immense potential of Busan’s classical music audience.

[Balancing Cultural Infrastructure]
As Busan’s first concert hall dedicated to classical music, Busan Concert Hall has played a significant role in addressing the imbalance of cultural infrastructure, which has been concentrated in the capital region.

Thanks to the installation of the first pipe organ outside the capital, world-class orchestras such as the London Philharmonic and the Royal Concertgebouw can now perform in Busan, establishing the city as a new hub for classical music on the global stage.

[Diversifying Audiences]
Within just four months of opening, membership surpassed 30,000, with more than 20,000 members aged 40 and older, demonstrating the strong interest and participation of the middle-aged and older demographic.

Busan has a high proportion of middle-aged residents, yet until now, there has been a shortage of high-quality cultural content for them. With the opening of the concert hall, participation among this demographic has markedly increased.

In addition, the hall introduced a “Student Seat” program (fixed price of 10,000 won), with 471 participants, successfully expanding its audience base across generations.

[Promoting the City Brand and Revitalizing the Local Economy]
Since the hall’s opening, the number of visitors to Citizens Park has increased by an average of 10% compared to the same period last year, establishing both the concert hall and its surrounding areas as a pleasant rest space for citizens.

The influx of cultural tourists has had a positive effect on local businesses such as hotels and restaurants. Furthermore, 261 international figures—including the director of Teatro alla Scala, as well as the ambassadors of Germany and France—visited the hall, enhancing Busan’s international reputation.

Meanwhile, some challenges have been identified, such as the inconvenience of on-site booking and accessibility issues for middle-aged and older visitors unfamiliar with mobile ticketing.

In response, next year Busan plans to: ▲Maintain the online booking system while also providing on-site ticket sales for those aged 65 and older ▲Introduce measures such as advance payment systems to improve parking convenience, given the difficulty of rapid expansion ▲Expand cultural infrastructure suitable for an international tourism city by developing performance-related content, tourism products, and souvenirs.

Park Min-jeong, CEO of Classic Busan, stated, “We sincerely thank everyone for the support given to Busan Concert Hall over the past 100 days. As we have operated without a single safety incident, we will continue to put the safety of the stage and audiences first. We will strive to provide high-quality performances, making the hall a space that accompanies citizens in their pursuit of a happy life.”