"That place should have been declared a national landmark"— ARMYs emotional over reports of actor Kim Woo-bin purchasing the old BTS building

On June 25, 2024, South Korean media outlet Money Today reported that they acquired a copy of the real estate register, which mentioned that Kim Woo-bin had purchased BTS's old building, previously used by BigHit Music as their former headquarters. The actor bought the building in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, for 13.7 billion won under his own name on June 11, 2024. He signed the real estate sales contract on March 29, 2024, and reported to complete the transfer of ownership registration within three months.

The five-floor building has two basements. Bighit Music used the building as their headquarters from 2007 to 2011 before they moved the office to Seoul. The building was symbolic for BTS and ARMYs as the group members, including Kim Namjoon, Jin, J-hope, Suga, Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jungkook, spent their earlier days of struggle. They used the practice room of the building before rising to international fame and recognition.

Soon, the news about Kim Woo-bin purchasing the building, which holds many precious memories of BTS from the trainee years, circulated on social media, and ARMYs could not contain their dejection. They expressed disappointment and stated that the building should have been declared a national landmark long ago, owing to the group's hardships and worldwide impact. Subsequently, an X user tweeted:

"That place should have been declared a national landmark long time ago."

Netizens were saddened about Kim Woo-bin's latest investment and worried whether he would erase the writing and messages engraved on the outside walls of the buildings. The writings and messages were left by ARMYs visiting the place and were thus considered significant memories for BTS and the fandom. ARMYs also questioned why HYBE did not purchase the building till now, owing to its importance in the group's life.

"Why didn't hybe buy this building and make it a bts themed spot for fans to visit. All those messages on the wall will be gone now."- A fan tweeted.

"Not this place please. This place really holds so much memories of tannies and ARMYs. I really hope they don't remove all these writings."- A fan reacted.

"Call me sentimental but this bldg holds a lot of good memories for both us and the tannies, can't believe that it will be gone soon. I even left some of my wishes there which then came true...will surely miss all the cute doodles and funny notes that were left there."- A fan shared.

"Actor Kim woo - bin brought this building now he surly goona erase all those msgs :(( dream of visiting this building goona be dream forever."- A fan commented.

Netizens stated that HYBE should have bought the building and turned it into a museum for BTS, while others wished that Kim Woo-bin would not erase the writings and doodles left by the ARMYs on the walls of the building. Some fans also understood the reason manager Hobum Song shared the picture of the building on his Instagram account on June 24, 2024, where he captioned the post as 'A place I come once in a while whenever I have a lot of thoughts. I miss you.'

"I hope Kim Woo Bin doesn't erase all those messages, letters written by ARMYs on the wall of the old Bighit building, because that building holds so many memories for bts and army."- A user shared.

"Agreed! It should have some protection on it like a historical landmark that can’t be torn down or altered! Hopefully he understands the importance of this place and didn’t purchase it for bad reasons."- A user mentioned.

"Well bh/hybe should have nought that building and mk it a bts museum."- A user reacted.

"I don't know how to feel about this... Like this is out of nowhere....That's why the manager posted on instagram."- A user commented.

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More details regarding Kim Woo-bin's purchase of BTS' old building

According to the media outlet Sports Seoul, Kim Woo-bin has contacted Shinhan Bank to purchase Bighit Music's former headquarters. The bank has placed a collateral mortgage of 7.44 billion won, which amounts to 120% of the loan amount, on the building. It was estimated that the actor had obtained a loan of 6.2 billion won, and the property was purchased with 7.5 billion in cash.

BTS' old buiding (Image via hobumsong/Instagram)

The managing director of BSN Bilsanam real estate brokerage, Baek Seul-cheol, spoke to the outlet about BigHit Music's old building and said,

"The building purchased by Kim Woo-bin is located in an area preferred by the entertainment industry and has excellent visibility, and although it is located in a type 2 general residential area, the floor area ratio is about 261.93%. It is a very good building. We purchased the building in certain conditions."

The building has two underground floors, serving as a basement, and five floors above the group. It has an impressive land area of 315.5 m² and a total floor area of 1316.84 m².

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Kim Woo-bin is currently gearing up to appear in the upcoming Netflix series All the Love You Wish alongside Suzy. Meanwhile, BTS members Kim Namjoon, Suga, J-hope, Jimin, Kim Taehyung, and Jungkook, enlisted for mandatory military service. Jin was discharged from conscription on June 12, 2024.