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On June 25, 2024, South Korean actor Kim Woo-bin bought the former BTS headquarters in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. According to the Supreme Court registry on March 29, the date of acquisition of the property was registered, and the ownership transfer was completed on June 11. This made the BTS ARMY emotional, as the building served as a monument to the band's legacy.
The old building that Kim Woo-bin bought for 13.7 billion won ($9.84 million) was previously occupied by BigHit Entertainment from 2007 to 2018. The site area is 315.5 m2, and its total floor area is 1316.84 m2. It consists of 5 stories above ground and 2 levels below ground.
BTS trained and debuted under the BIGHIT MUSIC label (operated under HYBE) and moved to Samseong-dong in 2018. BigHit Entertainment moved from Samseong-dong to its current headquarters in Yongsan in 2020 and changed its name to HYBE Corporation.
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ARMY traveled from across the world and left written messages on the walls and stairs of the old building, which turned the property into a pilgrimage for the BTS fandom.
ARMY reminisces BTS' old days as the band's old building gets sold to Kim Woo-bin in June 2024
After BigHit Entertainment moved out of the Nonhyeon-dong building in 2018, the property was used by EDGE22, a web development and design company that builds WordPress themes and plugins. EDGE22 used it until 2024, before the property was acquired by Kim Woo-bin. The building was still visited by ARMY despite being used by EDGE22, and none of the written messages were removed.
In 2017, when BTS performed for over 11,000 fans in May 2017 at Sydney's Qudos Bank Arena, they were still using the Nonhyeon-dong building. The building is a testament to the band's humble beginning and struggles and their rise to fame with the release of Wings, You Never Walk Alone, and the Most Beautiful Moment in Life Trilogy or Youth Trilogy (HYYH).
Notably, the Nonhyeon-dong building was owned by someone else, and BigHit Entertainment leased two floors from 2007 to 2018, while the rest were occupied by other firms like Jinro and the Housing Gallerist Education System (HGES).
Even after BigHit Entertainment moved out of the building in 2018, the owners continued to be lax about the graffiti left by ARMY. The Chung Gu Construction Office (now Smile Construction) originally built the building and occupied the top level; however, they vacated the premises later along with other occupants (firms). The building was mostly vacant until 2024, before Kim Woo-bin purchased it.
In 2022, the band filmed Run BTS! 2022 Special Episode - Telepathy Part 1 where the members headed to the Nonhyeon-dong building in Seoul. The special episode holds significance for both the band and the fandom, and the clip once again went viral on June 25, 2024. Fans discussed how the members headed to the same location when they were tasked with reaching a "spot full of memories."
Taehyung was the first to reach the location, followed by Jin, Jimin, Namjoon, Jungkook, and Yoongi. The members hugged one another and recalled several instances when they trained in that building, such as Namjoon hiding an ice cream cone inside his trouser pocket to avoid being scolded by their manager.
For years, the band members shared one room on the third floor of the Nonhyeon-dong building from 2007 to 2011 before being shifted to a different dormitory elsewhere. They practiced in the underground garage space even after successfully debuting in 2013, when BigHit Entertainment was on the brink of bankruptcy.
Yoongi, aka Suga, shared in Suchwita episode 2 featuring Shin Dong-yup how they brought a thrown-away mattress from a garbage dump yard and used it for sleeping. The building serves as a constant reminder for BTS, their staff, and ARMY about their beginning and was mentioned heavily in the band's biography, Beyond the Story: 10 Year Record of BTS.
Several ARMY voiced their concerns over the messages and graffiti left on the old building being erased, while others hoped that Kim Woo-bin might not remove them and would turn it into a BTS ARMY museum or landmark on a ticketing basis to increase tourist footfall.
