BTS will stage its long-awaited comeback concert at Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square, one of the country’s most famous landmarks that represents its royal heritage and political and cultural life.
In a free concert expected to draw tens of thousands of fans tomorrow night, the K-pop juggernaut’s seven members, all South Koreans, will perform songs from their first album in nearly four years, ARIRANG, whose title is taken from the most beloved traditional folk tune on the Korean Peninsula.
“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 to reporters.
“Considering the symbolic significance of the word ‘Arirang’, we’ve decided to hold a performance at Gwanghwamun, a place that represents Korea.”
Gwanghwamun Square is named after the huge main gate of nearby Gyeongbokgung, a royal palace for Korea’s Joseon dynasty, which ruled the peninsula for more than 500 years until its collapse in 1910.
Located in the heart of Seoul, the sprawling square is also a symbol of South Korea’s young, resilient democracy, the site of massive rallies in times of political upheavals in recent years.
When then-president Yoon Suk-yeol’s martial law imposition in late 2024 triggered the most severe crisis for the country’s democracy in decades, protesters gathered in the square, calling for his ouster.
Rallies blended politics and pop culture, with demonstrators waving colourful light sticks used at K-pop concerts and signing K-pop tracks such as Girls’ Generation’s Into the New World.
Observers say the hourlong Gwanghwamun concert, which will be livestreamed on Netflix globally, will reaffirm BTS’ identity as a group that expanded from Korea to the world stage.
BTS had been on hiatus because its members had to complete their mandatory military duties.
In a message posted on X on Wednesday, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung called BTS “a proud artiste of the Republic of Korea” and expressed hope that the concert will show “our beautiful cultural heritage and the charm of K-culture.”
Besides about 20,000 ticketed fans at the square, about 240,000 others are expected to fill nearby areas to watch the concert on temporary screens.
Authorities plan to block roads, have subway trains pass through some stations and close the Gyeongbokgung place. — AP
