Seoul Arena 81% complete ahead of June opening

Seoul to directly operate pop music support facility, nurture music industry

'Seoul Moonlight Night Market' planned near Changdong Station

Oh vows to oversee safety and local commerce before opening

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspects plans for Seoul Arena and surrounding waterfront development from a bridge over the Jungnangcheon in Dobong-gu in April. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]
Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon inspects plans for Seoul Arena and surrounding waterfront development from a bridge over the Jungnangcheon in Dobong-gu in April. [Seoul Metropolitan Government]

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon visited the Seoul Arena construction site Friday morning to review progress and preparations ahead of the venue's scheduled opening next June, the Seoul Metropolitan Government said.

Seoul Arena is a multipurpose performing arts complex under construction in the Changdong area of Dobong-gu. It will feature the country's largest arena — capable of holding up to 28,000 people — along with a mid-sized performance hall for up to 7,000. The complex will also include a pop music support facility, convention space and commercial areas, and is expected to host everything from large-scale K-pop concerts to mid-sized performances across a range of genres, boosting Seoul's performance infrastructure and the broader live entertainment industry.

The city expects Seoul Arena to draw about 2.7 million tourists to the Changdong area annually after it opens. Construction is proceeding smoothly at 81 percent completion, with a target of finishing the build in May next year and opening in June.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government plans to directly operate the pop music support facility inside Seoul Arena, providing end-to-end support for the pop music industry — from planning and production through to performance and retail distribution. The city will support the growth of small and mid-sized agencies and emerging artists, expand opportunities for creative work and live performance, and train specialists in concert planning, marketing and management, as well as technical professionals in stagecraft, sound and lighting.

Alongside this, the city will upgrade commercial spaces near the arena and push initiatives to energize the nighttime economy, so that concertgoers linger and spend in the surrounding area. In particular, it plans to develop a "Seoul Moonlight Night Market" in the restaurant strip near Changdong Station, cultivating it into a nighttime commercial district where food and music come together.

The Changdong Station restaurant strip is one of six pilot sites the Seoul Metropolitan Government selected this year for the Seoul Moonlight Night Market program. Planned activities include creating a K-food specialty street, improving nighttime lighting and running busking and other music programs.

In addition, the city will carry out a major overhaul of pedestrian infrastructure around the arena to disperse the crowds that converge on Changdong Station after performances. Measures include building a riverside walking deck along the Jungnangcheon, improving pedestrian access between the arena and Nowon Station, and redeveloping the area beneath the Changdong Station overpass as a pedestrian-centered space.

Seoul Arena broke ground in November 2023. The 119,000-square-meter complex carries a total construction cost of 330 billion won ($249 million).

"Seoul Arena will be a stage for K-pop and a wide range of musical performances, and a key anchor for the northern Seoul renaissance that will breathe new life into the city's northeastern corridor," Oh said. "Until the doors open next June, I will keep a close eye on everything — from building and operational readiness to the traffic and pedestrian safety of concertgoers and the vitality of the surrounding commercial district."


ikson@heraldcorp.com