{"id":1839263,"date":"2026-03-21T16:56:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:56:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1839263"},"modified":"2026-03-21T16:56:47","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T13:56:47","slug":"k-pop-giants-bts-celebrate-return-with-seoul-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1839263","title":{"rendered":"K-pop giants BTS celebrate return with Seoul concert"},"content":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76468869_6.jpg”]<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5Ar5K<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n
BTS kicked off its comeback tour at home, telling fans ‘We’re back’ and thanking them for their loyaltyImage: Kim Hong-Ji\/AP Photo\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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South Korea’s K-pop<\/a>\u00a0phenomenon, the boy band BTS, celebrated a triumphant return<\/a> to the stage in the capital Seoul on Saturday evening, welcoming tens of thousands of adoring fans to a free comeback concert after a nearly four-year break from performing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The break was necessitated by South Korea’s conscription law<\/a>, which requires able-bodied males to serve stints of nearly two years in the military<\/a>. The first of BTS’s seven members began service in 2022<\/a> and the last finished in June 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the Gwanghwamun Gate and the Gyeongbokgung Palace awash in color behind and fans waving BTS light sticks all around, lead man RM greeted the crowd, saying “Hi Seoul! We’re back!”<\/p>\n

“Thank you for waiting for us,” band member J-Hope told the crowd. “We will do our best to give everything we’ve got.”<\/p>\n

“I still vividly remember how, at our last Busan concert a few years ago, we asked you to wait for us,” added bandmate Jin. “Thank you so much for coming here like this.”<\/p>\n

\"A
Authorities closed off large parts of the capital to make way for pop phenoms BTS and their ‘Army’ of fansImage: Jung Ui-Chel\/Matrix Images\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seoul concert kicks off BTS global tour<\/h2>\n

Police in Seoul said they were expecting upwards of 200,000 concertgoers on Saturday. Beyond the giant main stage, organizers set up numerous viewing screens for fans further away. The event was also live streamed to global audiences on Netflix.<\/p>\n

BTS and its business partners are hoping the seven-member group can reclaim its status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts at a time when K-pop is having a global moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band’s one-hour live-streamed concert from Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday marked the start of an 82-show global tour that looks likely to generate hundreds of millions in revenues.<\/p>\n

The concert also coincided with the release of BTS’s fifth studio album<\/a>, “Arirang.” The band’s label says the LP sold nearly 4 million copies within 24 hours and that another five million fans pre-saved it on Spotify, the most ever for a K-pop band.<\/p>\n

BTS opened Saturday’s show with “Body to Body,” the first track on the new album.<\/p>\n

\"A
Saturday’s concert and live stream, as well as the release of a new album, are all geared toward promoting the group’s massive 82-concert global comeback tourImage: Suh Jeen Moon\/ZUMA\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heavy police presence at historic and symbolic Korean site<\/h2>\n

The police presence at Saturday’s concert was massive, too, with some 16,000 police and security officers deployed.<\/p>\n

Officials shut down entire neighborhoods and halted all road and rail movement in parts of the city for nearly 30 hours.<\/p>\n

Though South Korea has sought to make up for the type of failures that led to the deaths of almost 160 people on Halloween 2022<\/a>, critics say the massive presence undercut the symbolism of BTS’s chosen venue.<\/p>\n

Gwanghwamun Square is widely seen as Seoul’s spiritual center, attracting hundreds of thousands of South Koreans<\/a>\u00a0to mourn, protest and celebrate in recent years as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval.<\/p>\n

\"Fans
Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square holds great cultural and societal significance for South Korea, which BTS said prompted the choice of venueImage: Jung Ui-Chel\/Matrix Images\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Saturday, band member Suga told concertgoers that the decisions to perform at Gwanghwamun Square and to title the new album “Arirang” \u2014 after a famous, centuries-old Korean folk song about separation, longing and resilience \u2014 had to do with the band’s focus on identity.<\/p>\n

BTS (an acronym of “Bangtan sonyeondan,” meaning “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean)<\/a> debuted in 2013 and assembled an “Army” of global supporters over the years that followed.<\/p>\n

In 2020, BTS became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”<\/p>\n

In the past, the band has stressed the need for self-reflection and courage in times of doubt as well as championing UNICEF, Black Lives Matter and efforts to combat anti-Asian racism.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

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South Korea’s K-pop<\/a>\u00a0phenomenon, the boy band BTS, celebrated a triumphant return<\/a> to the stage in the capital Seoul on Saturday evening, welcoming tens of thousands of adoring fans to a free comeback concert after a nearly four-year break from performing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The break was necessitated by South Korea’s conscription law<\/a>, which requires able-bodied males to serve stints of nearly two years in the military<\/a>. The first of BTS’s seven members began service in 2022<\/a> and the last finished in June 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the Gwanghwamun Gate and the Gyeongbokgung Palace awash in color behind and fans waving BTS light sticks all around, lead man RM greeted the crowd, saying “Hi Seoul! We’re back!”<\/p>\n

“Thank you for waiting for us,” band member J-Hope told the crowd. “We will do our best to give everything we’ve got.”<\/p>\n

“I still vividly remember how, at our last Busan concert a few years ago, we asked you to wait for us,” added bandmate Jin. “Thank you so much for coming here like this.”<\/p>\n

\"A
Authorities closed off large parts of the capital to make way for pop phenoms BTS and their ‘Army’ of fansImage: Jung Ui-Chel\/Matrix Images\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Seoul concert kicks off BTS global tour<\/h2>\n

Police in Seoul said they were expecting upwards of 200,000 concertgoers on Saturday. Beyond the giant main stage, organizers set up numerous viewing screens for fans further away. The event was also live streamed to global audiences on Netflix.<\/p>\n

BTS and its business partners are hoping the seven-member group can reclaim its status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts at a time when K-pop is having a global moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band’s one-hour live-streamed concert from Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday marked the start of an 82-show global tour that looks likely to generate hundreds of millions in revenues.<\/p>\n

The concert also coincided with the release of BTS’s fifth studio album<\/a>, “Arirang.” The band’s label says the LP sold nearly 4 million copies within 24 hours and that another five million fans pre-saved it on Spotify, the most ever for a K-pop band.<\/p>\n

BTS opened Saturday’s show with “Body to Body,” the first track on the new album.<\/p>\n

\"A
Saturday’s concert and live stream, as well as the release of a new album, are all geared toward promoting the group’s massive 82-concert global comeback tourImage: Suh Jeen Moon\/ZUMA\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Heavy police presence at historic and symbolic Korean site<\/h2>\n

The police presence at Saturday’s concert was massive, too, with some 16,000 police and security officers deployed.<\/p>\n

Officials shut down entire neighborhoods and halted all road and rail movement in parts of the city for nearly 30 hours.<\/p>\n

Though South Korea has sought to make up for the type of failures that led to the deaths of almost 160 people on Halloween 2022<\/a>, critics say the massive presence undercut the symbolism of BTS’s chosen venue.<\/p>\n

Gwanghwamun Square is widely seen as Seoul’s spiritual center, attracting hundreds of thousands of South Koreans<\/a>\u00a0to mourn, protest and celebrate in recent years as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval.<\/p>\n

\"Fans
Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square holds great cultural and societal significance for South Korea, which BTS said prompted the choice of venueImage: Jung Ui-Chel\/Matrix Images\/picture alliance<\/small><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Saturday, band member Suga told concertgoers that the decisions to perform at Gwanghwamun Square and to title the new album “Arirang” \u2014 after a famous, centuries-old Korean folk song about separation, longing and resilience \u2014 had to do with the band’s focus on identity.<\/p>\n

BTS (an acronym of “Bangtan sonyeondan,” meaning “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean)<\/a> debuted in 2013 and assembled an “Army” of global supporters over the years that followed.<\/p>\n

In 2020, BTS became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”<\/p>\n

In the past, the band has stressed the need for self-reflection and courage in times of doubt as well as championing UNICEF, Black Lives Matter and efforts to combat anti-Asian racism.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

South Korea’s K-pop<\/a>\u00a0phenomenon, the boy band BTS, celebrated a triumphant return<\/a> to the stage in the capital Seoul on Saturday evening, welcoming tens of thousands of adoring fans to a free comeback concert after a nearly four-year break from performing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The break was necessitated by South Korea’s conscription law<\/a>, which requires able-bodied males to serve stints of nearly two years in the military<\/a>. The first of BTS’s seven members began service in 2022<\/a> and the last finished in June 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

With the Gwanghwamun Gate and the Gyeongbokgung Palace awash in color behind and fans waving BTS light sticks all around, lead man RM greeted the crowd, saying “Hi Seoul! We’re back!”<\/p>\n

“Thank you for waiting for us,” band member J-Hope told the crowd. “We will do our best to give everything we’ve got.”<\/p>\n

“I still vividly remember how, at our last Busan concert a few years ago, we asked you to wait for us,” added bandmate Jin. “Thank you so much for coming here like this.”<\/p>\n

Police in Seoul said they were expecting upwards of 200,000 concertgoers on Saturday. Beyond the giant main stage, organizers set up numerous viewing screens for fans further away. The event was also live streamed to global audiences on Netflix.<\/p>\n

BTS and its business partners are hoping the seven-member group can reclaim its status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts at a time when K-pop is having a global moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The band’s one-hour live-streamed concert from Gwanghwamun Square on Saturday marked the start of an 82-show global tour that looks likely to generate hundreds of millions in revenues.<\/p>\n

The concert also coincided with the release of BTS’s fifth studio album<\/a>, “Arirang.” The band’s label says the LP sold nearly 4 million copies within 24 hours and that another five million fans pre-saved it on Spotify, the most ever for a K-pop band.<\/p>\n

BTS opened Saturday’s show with “Body to Body,” the first track on the new album.<\/p>\n

The police presence at Saturday’s concert was massive, too, with some 16,000 police and security officers deployed.<\/p>\n

Officials shut down entire neighborhoods and halted all road and rail movement in parts of the city for nearly 30 hours.<\/p>\n

Though South Korea has sought to make up for the type of failures that led to the deaths of almost 160 people on Halloween 2022<\/a>, critics say the massive presence undercut the symbolism of BTS’s chosen venue.<\/p>\n

Gwanghwamun Square is widely seen as Seoul’s spiritual center, attracting hundreds of thousands of South Koreans<\/a>\u00a0to mourn, protest and celebrate in recent years as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, band member Suga told concertgoers that the decisions to perform at Gwanghwamun Square and to title the new album “Arirang” \u2014 after a famous, centuries-old Korean folk song about separation, longing and resilience \u2014 had to do with the band’s focus on identity.<\/p>\n

BTS (an acronym of “Bangtan sonyeondan,” meaning “Bulletproof Boy Scouts” in Korean)<\/a> debuted in 2013 and assembled an “Army” of global supporters over the years that followed.<\/p>\n

In 2020, BTS became the first K-pop act to top Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with their first all-English song “Dynamite.”<\/p>\n

In the past, the band has stressed the need for self-reflection and courage in times of doubt as well as championing UNICEF, Black Lives Matter and efforts to combat anti-Asian racism.<\/p>\n

Edited by:\u00a0Saim Du\u0161an Inayatullah<\/em><\/p>\n

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[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/static.dw.com\/image\/76468869_6.jpg”] https:\/\/p.dw.com\/p\/5Ar5K BTS kicked off its comeback tour at home, telling fans ‘We’re back’ and thanking them for their loyaltyImage: Kim Hong-Ji\/AP Photo\/picture alliance South Korea’s K-pop\u00a0phenomenon, the boy band BTS, celebrated a triumphant return to the stage in the capital Seoul on Saturday evening, welcoming tens of thousands of adoring fans to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,74],"class_list":["post-1839263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-dw-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1839263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1839263\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1839263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1839263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1839263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}