K-pop group BTS is set to stage its long-awaited comeback concert this Saturday at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, marking the beginning of its world tour.
In a free concert expected to draw tens of thousands of fans, the band’s seven members (all South Korean) will perform songs from their first album in four years, “ARIRANG”.
New album
The band’s 10th studio album title is taken from the most beloved traditional folk tune on the Korean Peninsula, according to The Associated Press.
“‘ARIRANG’ is an album that embodies the origin and identity of BTS and carries the message that they want to convey now,” Hybe Corp., the parent company of BTS’ management agency, said in response to questions by The Associated Press.
“Considering the symbolic significance of the word ‘Arirang’, we’ve decided to hold a performance at Gwanghwamun, a place that represents Korea.”
The venue is located in the heart of Seoul, a sprawling square that is home to cultural and art events.
Gwanghwamun Square is one of Seoul’s most historic and symbolic public spaces. Officials expect up to 260,000 people to gather in and around the site, including about 22,000 ticketed spectators, making it one of the largest events held there in recent years.
Cultural critic Ha Jae-keun said that no matter where the BTS holds its comeback concert, it would be successful. But as the biggest stars of K-pop, BTS likely determined that appearing at a symbolic Korean site would be “most meaningful”, he said, according to AP.
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The concert
This will be BTS’s first performance since its hiatus in 2022, as members had to complete their mandatory military duties in South Korea.
The concert will be streamed live on Netflix in 190 countries, in what is being labelled as the platform’s first global broadcast of a music concert.
Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports told Reuters it will be “a spectacle unlike anything we’ve seen before”.
With a one-hour runtime, the Seoul show is expected to emphasise large-scale visuals and storytelling, designed to resonate both with the live audience and viewers watching around the world.
The concert also marks the beginning of the BTS’s Arirang world tour, set to kick off on April 9 in Goyang, South Korea. The tour is scheduled to span 34 cities with a total of 82 shows, running through to March 2027.
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