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BTS throws free concert to promote S. Korea's World Expo bid

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="A packed Busan Asian Main Stadium in South Korea on Oct. 15, 2022 for BTS" to="" which="" was="" held="" in="" support="" of="" the="" bid="" host="" World="" Expo.="" Photo:="" Twitter="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/overseas/10/16/bts.jpg"/><figcaption>A packed Busan Asian Main Stadium in South Korea on Oct. 15, 2022 for BTS&#x27; &#x27;Yet to Come&#x27; concert, which was held in support of the country&#x27;s bid to host the World Expo. <em>Photo: Twitter/@bts_bighit</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SEOUL, South Korea — K-pop mega-band BTS reunited on Saturday for a free concert in Busan to support South Korea&#x27;s bid to host the World Expo, four months after the musicians announced they were taking a break from group activities.</p><p>Some 52,000 excited fans, many dressed in purple — the band&#x27;s official colour — gathered in the Busan Asiad Main Stadium on Saturday evening, with local reports saying hotels near the venue were fully booked.</p><p>The night before the concert, major roads as well as a number of tourist spots in the port city, including the Gwangan Bridge, were lit in purple in honor of the septet. </p><p>BTS are credited with generating billions for the South Korean economy, and their label enjoyed a surge in profits despite holding fewer concerts during the coronavirus pandemic.</p><p>In June, the septet dropped the bombshell announcement that they were taking a break as a group to pursue solo projects.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/06/14/22/bts-to-go-on-break-members-to-focus-on-solo-careers">BTS announces break as members focus on solo releases</a></li></ul><p>Aside from music, the band has championed global progressive causes, from the Black Lives Matter protests to raising awareness on mental health to battling anti-Asian racism in the United States.</p><p>&quot;BTS, if you are getting this message, thank you. Thank you so much for everything,&quot; an emotional fan from the US told a local broadcaster in Busan on Friday, adding she was inspired by their music when things were difficult.</p><p>&quot;I will never give up on myself because you never gave up on me.&quot;</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="ko">[<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%EC%98%A4%EB%8A%98%EC%9D%98%EB%B0%A9%ED%83%84?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#오늘의방탄</a>] 변화는 많았지만 변함은 없는 우리🥰 오랜만에 하는 함성 공연이라니🥺 너무 보고 싶었고, 오늘 너무 즐거웠어요 아미! 보라해💜<br/><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BTS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BTS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%EB%B0%A9%ED%83%84%EC%86%8C%EB%85%84%EB%8B%A8?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#방탄소년단</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BTSARMY?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BTSARMY</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YetToComeInBUSAN?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#YetToComeInBUSAN</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/%EB%B3%B4%EB%9D%BC%ED%95%B4?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#보라해</a> <a href="https://t.co/RgSHJ4cORb">pic.twitter.com/RgSHJ4cORb</a></p>— BTS_official (@bts_bighit) <a href="https://twitter.com/bts_bighit/status/1581264442465325061?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 15, 2022</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><div><strong>&#x27;Believe in us&#x27; </strong></div><p>In June, the band, who are known to be extremely hard-working and maintained a relentless pace of new releases in their nine years atop the charts, said they were &quot;exhausted&quot; as they announced their break.</p><p>But just about a month after that announcement, the government appointed them official ambassadors for Busan&#x27;s bid to host the World Expo in 2030.</p><p>The prospect of South Korea&#x27;s mandatory military service continues to hover over BTS, with its stars ranging in age from 25-year-old Jungkook to Jin, 29, who must sign up by December or risk jail.</p><p>&quot;If you believe in us, we&#x27;ll overcome whatever comes in our way no matter what, and happily perform and make music. Please believe in us,&quot; the band&#x27;s leader RM told fans during the concert. </p><p>All able-bodied South Korean men under the age of 30 must perform about two years of military service, mainly because the country remains technically at war with nuclear-armed North Korea.</p><p>Seoul&#x27;s defense minister in August said BTS may be allowed to continue performing and preparing for international concerts even while undertaking military duty.</p><p>Jin, who turns 30 in December and faces enlistment, announced during the concert that he would release a solo album soon.</p><p>&quot;I was able to collaborate with someone I really adore,&quot; he told fans, without explaining further. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/08/02/22/bts-may-be-ok-to-perform-while-on-military-service-minister">BTS may be able to perform while on military service: minister</a></li></ul><div><strong>Pop-up stores</strong></div><p>Even for non-fans, the concert was a stunning event to witness.</p><p>&quot;This is the first K-pop concert of my life and I&#x27;ve never seen this many people — including foreigners from all over the world — gathered together,&quot; Cecilia Yoo, 40, who attended the concert, told AFP.</p><p>Aside from the concert, &quot;there were pop-up stores across Busan selling BTS goods, and so many were waiting in line to buy them. Train tickets were sold out. I understood why the band is so important to South Korea&#x27;s economy,&quot; she added.</p><p>South Korea is among four countries that have bid to host the World Expo in 2030, along with Ukraine, Italy and Saudi Arabia, according to the expo&#x27;s organizing body.</p><p>The Bureau International des Expositions is scheduled to vote on the winning host country next year. </p><p>According to the bureau, the historic events — which take place roughly every five years — &quot;are a global gathering of nations dedicated to finding solutions to pressing challenges of our time by offering ... engaging and immersive activities.&quot; </p><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2115502" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

Member Jin also announced he would release a solo album soon at BTS' 'Yet to Come' concert in Busan.