Fans poured into the historic heart of South Korea’s capital for the return of the world’s most successful band in recent years, BTS.
According to entertainment company HYBE, about 104,000 people attended the concert on Saturday at Gwanghwamun Square, where the seven K-pop stars – RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook – performed together for the first time since October 2022.
Set against the backdrop of a 14th Century gateway to the royal palace, the band’s one-hour set included songs from their long-awaited new album, Arirang, which was released on Friday afternoon.
Entering Seoul’s central Gwanghwamun square was like stepping into a temple dedicated to the boyband. It was covered in purple, the signature colour of BTS.
The stage itself resembled a triumphal arch. It is a rare honour paid to the seven idols who have become the face of Korea’s cultural success.
The fans are sure to follow the band through its world tour which begins next month. The band is expected to rake in $1bn (£747m) in revenue, but the government has said its contribution to South Korea goes far beyond money.
Only about 22,000 people who managed to get free tickets were allowed to enter the concert venue – a smaller area in Gwanghwamun Square that has been cordoned off.
Ami Ostrovskaia, who moved to Seoul from Russia last year to study, wasone of the lucky ones. “BTS is the reason I’m here,” she says. “It’s why I started learning about Korean history, culture, food, sports, and the language.”
The rest are watching the giant screens outside: like Margarita Perez, a 58-year-old architect from Germany. She didn’t manage to snag a ticket but has been scouting the area so she can “stay nearby” on concert day.
Jacqueline, a 29-year-old teacher from Mexico City, said she wouldalso be at Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday to catch a glimpse of her favourite stars, before she sees them next month on the world tour.
“The last few years have been a sad time for [the BTS] Army. I loved their solo albums, but they’re more amazing when they’re together.”
As for the millions of fans around the world, the concert was live-streamed on Netflix.
As part of its deal with BTS, Netflix has exclusive rights to live-stream the show, as well as a documentary on the band’s reunion – a marketing triumph given the billions it has pumped into Korean entertainment.
The album’s title, Arirang, is the name of Korea’s most beloved folk song, a sentimental anthem about moving from hardship towards something better.
It is not lost on the band that the first known recording of Arirang was made in the United States in 1896, performed by a group of seven Korean men at Howard University.
A promotional video for the album shows RM, V, Jin, Jungkook, Jimin, j-hope and Suga listening to that wax cylinder recording, spinning a narrative that puts them in the same bracket – exporting Korean culture to the world – but 130 years later.
On Saturday, the band’s music label, Bit Hit Music, announced that Arirang had sold 3.98 million copies on the first day of its release.
The album – and Saturday’s comeback concert – is a culmination of years of anticipation since BTS went on hiatus in 2022, at the peak of their fame.
They did so to enlist for mandatory military service, starting with Jin in 2022. Suga was the last to complete service in June last year, paving the way for a full-group comeback.
Their 82-date world tour will take them across more than 30 cities, from Singapore and Tokyo to Munich and Los Angeles.
The stakes are high as BTS returns to a K-pop industry that has got bigger and more competitive.
“They’ve always exceeded my expectations. They might feel the pressure, but I believe they’ll do their best,” says Park Joo-young, a student in her 20s, who has been waiting a long time for this. (BBC News)
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