Seoul, March 29 (IANS) Major commercial districts in Seoul saw a sharp rise in foreign visitors on the day of BTS' concert in the capital earlier this month, with Seongsu-dong emerging as a new shopping hub, industry data showed on Sunday.

More than 78,000 foreigners visited Jung Ward, home to the popular Myeongdong shopping district, on March 21, when BTS held its comeback concert at Gwanghwamun Plaza in central Seoul, up 15.1 percent from a year ago, according to data compiled by a statistics portal run by the Korea Tourism Organisation (KTO).

Jongno Ward, where Gwanghwamun Plaza is located, saw 37,000 foreign visitors, up 49.9 percent from a year earlier, followed by Mapo Ward with 36,000, Gangnam Ward with 34,000 and Yongsan Ward with 31,000.

Seongdong Ward, which includes Seongsu-dong, recorded 21,000 foreign travelers on the day, up 52.6 percent from a year earlier.

The KTO data covers only users of roaming services provided by SK Telecom Co., excluding those using other mobile carriers or local subscriber identity module (SIM) cards.

Separate data by fashion e-commerce company Musinsa showed that foreign spending rose sharply in Seongsu-dong, which has emerged as a new commercial hub among younger consumers.

Foreign sales of Musinsa Standard's Myeongdong store on March 21 rose 43 percent from a year earlier, while those at its Seongsu outlet surged 69 percent.

Over the three-day period from March 20-22, the increases widened to 32 percent and 75 percent, respectively, according to the report.

"Foreign visitors coming to Korea for BTS concerts are primarily young women," an official from a local retail company said. "They tend to experience firsthand the fashion, beauty and food trends currently popular in Korea."

—IANS

na/