Foreign spending jumps on BTS weekend, locals pull back

BTS turned Gwanghwamun into a global stage on March 21, but for nearby merchants, the concert weekend reshuffled spending rather than delivering a broad retail boost. Foreign card spending in the Gwanghwamun area surged 74 percent from a year earlier over the three days from Friday to Sunday, according to data from Hyundai Card released Monday. But total spending edged down 0.53 percent, as a 14 percent drop in Korean spending offset the gains.