Space & Infrastructure · Indicator 6
Number of music venues
What this indicator asks
How many fixed music venues have been active in Seoul and the cities that border it since 1 January 2025?
47.0/ 100 · Seoul
We assessed 300 spaces in Seoul and the 12 cities that border it, and identified 181 as dedicated music venues where music is the main purpose. The other 119 spaces also host music alongside other uses, such as bars, arts and creative spaces, and record and listening bars. Only four of the 300 are outside Seoul city.
Seoul has 181 dedicated music venues, about 12 for every million people in the area. Of this, 53% are concert halls and live music venues, and 31% are nightclubs and 13% are bars.
A total of 95% of survey respondents in Seoul call clubs and live music venues important for the city’s nightlife. This is the highest of six kinds of space, ahead of outdoor events, temporary spaces, cultural and community spaces, places such as record shops and studios and bars and restaurants with music. Respondents named Nyapi and Kockiri most often.
A survey respondent wrote that under Korean law “most venues” are illegal, but they keep their position in the city and keep themselves and their community alive.