The condition of Seoul World Cup Stadium’s pitch has long been a source of frustration for players and fans alike. (Image courtesy of the Seoul Facilities Corporation)
SEOUL, Oct. 27 (Korea Bizwire) – A K-pop concert held during last year’s World Scout Jamboree caused significant damage to Seoul World Cup Stadium’s playing surface, requiring nearly 240 million won in repairs, according to a new report.
Documents obtained from the Seoul Facilities Corporation by Democratic Party lawmaker Wi Seong-gon reveal that the August 11 concert damaged approximately 1,604 square meters of the stadium’s hybrid turf – about 18% of its total 8,740-square-meter playing surface. The hybrid field combines natural and artificial grass.
KBS, which organized the event featuring K-pop stars NewJeans and NCT Dream as part of the 2023 World Scout Jamboree’s closing celebrations in Saemangeum, covered the restoration costs.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism had previously addressed concerns about potential field damage, stating they had “budgeted for field restoration from the concert’s planning stages” and would “provide full support for repairs.”
The condition of Seoul World Cup Stadium’s pitch has long been a source of frustration for players and fans alike. In October, a national team match against Iraq was relocated to Yongin Mireu Stadium amid concerns about the field’s poor condition.
Before that, national team captain Son Heung-min had publicly called for improvements to the home field’s playing surface.
The Seoul Facilities Corporation has pledged to increase its budget for next year to import maintenance equipment used by renowned international stadiums. The corporation acknowledged that they “failed to anticipate rapid climate change” this year, but promised to “secure a larger budget than previous years to prevent similar issues.”
“Since Seoul promised direct improvements during the last parliamentary audit, we will continue to monitor their progress and results,” said Wi.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
