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Buddhist temples in and around Busan are offering free or low-cost accommodation to BTS fans after the K-pop group’s concerts sent hotel prices soaring in the South Korean city and sparked complaints about booking cancellations.
The concerts on 12 and 13 June are part of the group’s first tour since all seven members completed their country’s mandatory military service.
The band composed of RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook had been on a hiatus since 2022, but returned in March 2026 with their new album Arirang.
Temples in Busan, like Beomeo, Naewonjeong, Hongbeop, and Seonam, and religious establishments in the nearby cities of Changwon, Yangsan and Miryang are opening spaces to visitors during the concert weekend, according to the state news agency Yonhap.
A “temple stay” is a cultural programme run by Buddhist temples where visitors stay overnight on the grounds and experience aspects of monastic life such as meditation, religious ceremonies, vegetarian meals, and communal living.
The programme was first started during the 2002 football World Cup to introduce visitors to Korean Buddhist culture and went on to become popular with tourists.
File. Buddhist temples in and around Busan are offering free or low-cost accommodation to BTS fans (AFP via Getty)
Concertgoers using the temple accommodation programme will need to follow designated check-in and check-out times and communal living guidelines because the establishments are primarily used by monks and nuns. Other usual rules for a temple stay include wearing uniforms and observing quiet hours.
The latest initiative is being coordinated by the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism, which says the temples will make temple-stay quarters and other available spaces accessible to visitors, with some locations also providing meals and opportunities to experience Buddhist practices and Korean culture.
“The BTS concerts in Busan are a major cultural attraction for fans from around the world,” the Cultural Corps of Korean Buddhism said. “We hope to share the spirit of generosity and hospitality embodied by temples, and help visitors leave Busan with warm memories.”
Accommodation prices in cities like Seoul, Goyang and Busan have gone up rapidly since the BTS concert dates were announced in January.
Busan’s city government received more than 90 complaints that month alone through the Korea Tourism Organisation’s reporting system over alleged price gouging and booking cancellations.
Busan concerts are part of BTS’s first tour as a group since all seven members completed their mandatory military service (Getty)
A fan from Daegu wrote on social media that a hotel had asked them to cancel a confirmed booking. “This should be an exciting time,” the fan said, according to the Korea JoongAng Daily. “Instead, I am overwhelmed by stress over where I’ll be staying.”
A guesthouse that typically charged 70,000 won (£34) a night in February was reportedly listing the same room for 600,000 won (£294) during the concert weekend. A studio-type accommodation that usually cost 57,000 (£28) won was listed for 3m won (£1,472).
In February, Chosun Daily reported that the average accommodation fee across 135 facilities in Busan during the concert period had risen to 433,999 won (£213), 2.4 times higher than usual rates. Motel prices rose 3.3-fold on average, while a hotel in Seo-gu increased weekend room rates from 100,000 won (£49) to 750,000 won (£368).
The complaints led authorities in Busan to launch inspections and threaten tax audits for businesses accused of excessive price increases.
According to the Seoul Economic Daily, the city also introduced a “Fair Lodging Challenge” aimed at encouraging accommodation providers to maintain standard pricing during the concert period.
