This Place Earned 8.2 Billion Won from Lim Young-woong and Seventeen... But Spent 250 Million on Lawn Maintenance

October Iraq War Held at Yongin Mireu Stadium
Son Heung-min Also Points Out "Hope the Grass Is Improved"

The Korea Football Association has decided to hold the fourth home match of the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup Asian third qualifying round against Iraq, scheduled for the 15th of next month, at Yongin Mir Stadium instead of Seoul World Cup Stadium due to poor turf conditions. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the World Cup Stadium, which earned 8.2 billion KRW this year from matches and concerts, invested only 250 million KRW in turf management, sparking controversy.

According to data received on the 25th from Seoul Facilities Corporation by Wi Seong-gon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea (Jeju Seogwipo City), the corporation spent a total of 253.27 million KRW on turf management at Seoul World Cup Stadium up to the end of August this year. Specifically, 153.46 million KRW was spent on new turf planting, 19.94 million KRW on artificial mats for turf protection, 51.4 million KRW on pesticides and fertilizers, 19.62 million KRW on an overseeding machine for turf sowing, and 8.86 million KRW on turf waste disposal services.

Compared to the total revenue of 8.255 billion KRW generated by Seoul World Cup Stadium from January to August this year through football matches, celebrity concerts, and parking fees, the amount spent on turf management is relatively small. The stadium earned 994.26 million KRW from national team A-match games, 1.138 billion KRW from FC Seoul matches, 2.434 billion KRW from concerts and cultural events, and 3.638 billion KRW from general events. Major cultural event rental incomes included 1.438 billion KRW from Lim Young-woong’s concert and 977.58 million KRW from Seventeen. The IU concert held on September 21-22 was not included. It is expected that the IU concert rental income alone will generate at least 1 billion KRW.

The match between South Korea and Palestine in the third round of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup qualifiers held on the afternoon of the 5th at Seoul World Cup Stadium.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier this year, amid record-breaking heatwaves described as 'unprecedented,' turf damage controversies arose due to overlapping concerts by Lim Young-woong, Seventeen, and IU. Around the IU concert, football fans criticized the turf damage caused by stage installations and seating arrangements, while fans of the singers argued that responsibility should not be shifted to the artists since costs were paid, leading to conflicts.

As concerns over the turf condition at the World Cup Stadium intensified, Seoul City announced that starting next year, it would allow cultural event rentals such as concerts only on the condition that ground seating sales are excluded, and that turf management would be strengthened after the IU concert. Although a complete ban on cultural event rentals like concerts was initially considered, due to ongoing domestic and international demand for K-pop concerts and the current lack of large venues in Seoul that can accommodate over 20,000 spectators, partial rentals excluding ground seating were decided to be permitted.

However, the Korea Football Association has decided to hold the Iraq match on the 15th of next month at Yongin Mir Foundation Stadium instead of Seoul World Cup Stadium. After inspecting the stadium’s condition, it was deemed difficult to hold the match on the 15th even with turf repairs, considering the growth status of the grass.

The poor turf condition at the stadium has long been a source of disappointment among players. Especially after the 1-1 draw against Palestine in the first match of Group B in the North American World Cup third qualifying round on the 5th, captain Son Heung-min emphasized, "There are many technically skilled players, but there are difficulties in ball control and dribbling. I hope this improves when we play at home."

Ultimately, there are calls for Seoul Facilities Corporation and Seoul City, which manage the stadium, to put more effort into turf management. Wi Seong-gon said, "Seoul City’s announcement to exclude ground seating sales ahead of the IU concert made fans feel as if the singer was responsible for turf damage, which fueled conflicts. Since there were issues such as the forced Jamberry concert last year, fundamental measures need to be established."