By Honorary Reporter Mathilde Lafage from France

While K-pop fans focus on the music and performances, technological advances are quietly reshaping how the genre's concerts are experienced.

BTS' highly awaited comeback starting on March 21 has fans scrambling to reserve tickets for the group's world tour spanning 79 concerts in five continents. Tickets sold out almost instantly but Hybe, the boy band's management group, has a high-tech solution for those who cannot attend.

Light sticks: more than accessory

Light sticks are an essential part of the K-pop concert experience. Connected to the control system, organizers use these glowing devices to create synchronized waves of color throughout the audience, incorporating the crowd into the visual performance.

A new version of the Army Bomb, BTS's official light stick, was recently released. Hybe has also applied for patents related to the technologies for these devices.

Virtual stadium

With new technological advances, a light stick switched on in a bedroom in Paris could change color at the same moment as thousands of the same devices inside a stadium in Seoul. This is thanks to complex technical systems and intellectual property strategies.

K-pop companies are developing technological platforms to extend the fan experience of concerts beyond the venue.

Turning smartphones into relay stations

In a patent application for a "method and system for managing multiple external repeaters," Hybe is legally redefining what it means to attend a concert.

As an intellectual property lawyer and Army member, I looked into the company’s recent filings to understand how intellectual property is being used to build a virtual stadium.

Filed in Korea in April 2024 and later extended to the U.S., Japan and China, the method allows concert organizers to control light sticks located not only inside the venue but also in remote locations.

Within a venue, light sticks are directly connected to a central control system. Outside the venue, however, they can be linked to a smartphone app that manages colors and settings.

Under Hybe's proposed system, the app could function as an external relay in receiving the same control signals used for devices inside the stadium.

Streaming spot

The patent application goes even further by introducing a "streaming spot." Hybe envisions secondary broadcast locations such as cinemas, cafes or other public venues where equipment could manage hundreds of fan devices remotely.

Through this system, HYBE is exploring ways to build a network that connects audiences across multiple locations during a live event.

By developing light sticks and protecting the broader technological ecosystem around them, Korean entertainment companies are emerging as leaders of innovation connecting music and technology.

jcy0531@korea.kr

*This article was written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.