G-dragon Personally Donates Bigbang Concert Tickets To Veterans’ Families And Public Servants

The artist personally purchased tickets for descendants of independence activists and Korean War veterans, as well as correctional officers, through the JusPeace Foundation’s Hero Recovery project.

As more than 100,000 fans gathered for BIGBANG’s 20th-anniversary concerts in Goyang, G-Dragon made sure that several seats went to people whose contributions are rarely celebrated on an entertainment stage.

The JusPeace Foundation announced that descendants of Korean independence activists and Korean War veterans were invited to BIGBANG’s opening XX: COSMOS world tour concerts, alongside correctional officers working within South Korea’s prison and rehabilitation system.

The invitations were provided through tickets personally purchased by G-Dragon and donated to the foundation, where he serves as honorary chair.

The initiative was part of Hero Recovery, a JusPeace program that uses cultural and artistic experiences to recognize people who have protected their communities or carried the legacy of public service.

G-Dragon Creates Hero’s Seats at BIGBANG’s Anniversary Concert / News1

Remembering Historical and Everyday Heroes

The guest list connected several different forms of service.

Descendants of independence activists represented families whose relatives participated in Korea’s struggle for national sovereignty during Japanese colonial rule. Descendants of Korean War veterans carried the memory of those who served during the 1950-53 conflict.

Correctional officers represented a less visible form of present-day public service. Their work includes maintaining safety inside correctional institutions while supporting the rehabilitation, education and eventual social reintegration of incarcerated people.

By bringing these groups into the same concert venue, the foundation expanded the meaning of a “hero” beyond famous historical figures.

The JusPeace Foundation explained that the term can include people who sacrificed for freedom and peace in the past, as well as ordinary individuals who continue protecting society in roles that rarely receive public recognition.

Foundation CEO Oh Hee-young said that everyday life is made possible through the sacrifices and efforts of others. She added that the organization intends to continue using art to express gratitude toward people who have served their communities.

An Expansion of an Existing Project

The BIGBANG concert invitations were not the first activity conducted through Hero Recovery.

During G-Dragon’s previous solo world tour, the foundation invited uniformed public servants, including firefighters and police officers, to attend performances. Some of those invitations extended to emergency personnel and community workers in the United States.

The latest initiative broadened the project in two directions. It reached backward into Korean history by including veterans’ families, while also recognizing correctional officers whose contributions generally happen away from public view.

That continuity separates the project from a one-time celebrity gesture. It is becoming a repeatable social program tied directly to G-Dragon’s concerts and the foundation’s belief that cultural experiences can provide recognition, comfort and recovery.

The decision to purchase the tickets personally also makes G-Dragon’s role direct. He was not simply lending his name to a foundation campaign. He financed the invitations and used access to one of the year’s most anticipated K-pop events as the form of support.

G-Dragon Creates Hero’s Seats at BIGBANG’s Anniversary Concert / News1

How JusPeace Connects Art With Social Action

G-Dragon launched the JusPeace Foundation in August 2024 and serves as its honorary chair. The organization’s name combines “justice” and “peace.”

Its work was established around several goals, including supporting emerging artists, promoting the public use of copyrights, expanding mental-health initiatives and exploring art-based treatment for young people affected by drug addiction.

G-Dragon contributed an initial 300 million won when establishing the organization. The foundation has also said that part of his music copyright income is used to support its work.

The Hero Recovery initiative shows another side of that mission. Instead of treating art only as an industry or commercial product, the program uses concerts as spaces where respect and public memory can be expressed.

This approach is especially fitting for BIGBANG’s 20th anniversary. The XX: COSMOS concerts celebrate the group’s own history, but the invited seats widened the act of remembrance beyond the artists on stage.

A Meaningful Beginning to BIGBANG’s World Tour

BIGBANG opened the XX: COSMOS tour at Goyang Stadium from August 21 to 23, performing for approximately 107,000 people across three nights.

The concerts marked the group’s first Korean headlining shows in eight years and eight months. G-Dragon, Taeyang and Daesung performed songs spanning two decades, including “Fantastic Baby,” “Haru Haru,” “Lies,” “Bang Bang Bang” and the anniversary single “BiiiG.”

The group is now scheduled to continue the tour across 19 cities with 33 performances.

For most attendees, the Goyang concerts were an opportunity to celebrate BIGBANG’s music and reunion. For the families and public servants invited through Hero Recovery, the performances also carried a message of acknowledgment.

The tickets could not repay a family’s historical sacrifice or fully represent the demands placed on public servants. That was not the foundation’s claim. Their value came from something simpler: ensuring that those contributions were remembered and that the people connected to them were welcomed into a moment of collective celebration.