Jaehwa Bernardo

Article (news)

Kings of K-pop: What to know about BTS' comeback

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px;display:block" width="960"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1773905232157BTS.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">BTS.<em> Photo from BTS&#x27; Facebook page</em></span></span></span></div><p>SEOUL, South Korea — BTS, the world&#x27;s biggest boy band, reunites on stage on Saturday in a K-pop extravaganza watched by hundreds of thousands of fans in downtown Seoul and by millions around the planet online.</p><p>AFP gives the lowdown on what to know ahead of the concert — BTS&#x27;s first since 2022 — by the seven young men who more than anyone have turned South Korea into a global cultural powerhouse.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong> Full comeback</strong></div><p>BTS broke hearts after, one by one — beginning in 2022 and ending last June — they swapped pop stardom for around 18 months of unglamorous compulsory military service.</p><p>Their agency has framed the concert — a day after their fifth studio album &quot;Arirang&quot; drops — as a declaration that normal service has at long last resumed.</p><p>&quot;We promised our fans we&#x27;d be back,&quot; BTS&#x27;s leader RM, 31, says in a trailer.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>The palace</strong></div><p>Roughly 15,000 tickets for the concert sold in an instant, but around 260,000 more fans are expected to throng Seoul for the open-air show.</p><p>The gig&#x27;s overall director is Britain&#x27;s Hamish Hamilton, who has worked with a string of global acts and has helmed Olympics ceremonies and Super Bowl shows.</p><p>Details of the concert have been strictly kept under wraps.</p><p>But local media reported that the event will begin inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seoul&#x27;s grandest royal palace dating back to 1395.</p><p>Then BTS will move through the main gate to a main stage near Gwanghwamun Square in a route dubbed the &quot;Path of a King&quot; in reference to the Joseon emperors who reigned for five centuries.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/3/19/in-seoul-square-of-protest-and-history-bts-fans-welcome-grand-comeback-1433"><strong>READ: In Seoul square of protest and history, BTS fans welcome grand comeback<br/></strong></a></div><p>&quot;BTS is unarguably the most symbolic K-pop group there is. And it goes without saying Gyeongbokgung Palace is the most symbolic place in the country,&quot; Kim Do-hoon, a pop culture columnist, told AFP.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>Crowd control</strong></div><p>After more than 150 people died in a Halloween crowd crush in Seoul in 2022, authorities are taking no chances, closing Gyeongbokgung Palace and the nearby National Palace Museum for the day.</p><p>About 6,700 police officers, along with 8,200 security staff from the Seoul city government and the group&#x27;s agency HYBE, will be deployed, authorities said, as well as counterterrorism officers.</p><p>&quot;Given the recent volatile international situation... the possibility of a terrorist threat at large-scale events such as BTS concerts cannot be ruled out,&quot; the prime minister&#x27;s office said in a statement.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong> Money-spinner</strong></div><p>Both BTS and their fans are known for their progressive activism, including support for the Black Lives Matter movement.</p><p>They are also a colossal money-spinner, with the BTS &quot;fandom economy&quot; from sales of music and merchandise — as well as tourism — worth billions of dollars annually.</p><p>Hotels are booked out in Seoul with thousands of fans flying in from abroad for the concert.</p><p>&quot;BTS&#x27;s comeback will contribute to an economic boom in the areas where they hold concerts, thanks to their strong fandom base,&quot; said Kim Dae-jong, a business professor at Sejong University.</p><p>&quot;Convenience stores and lodging businesses will be the direct beneficiaries, while the national image could also be elevated with their return to the stage.&quot;</p><p>For BTS though, the success of the new &quot;Arirang&quot; album will be key.</p><p>&quot;It will show not only the future of BTS but also that of the K-pop industry,&quot; columnist Kim said.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>World tour</strong></div><p>After the show, BTS will embark on their Arirang World Tour, which begins April 9 in Goyang, South Korea.</p><p>Stretching across 82 concerts in 34 cities worldwide, the 2026-27 tour will sweep through Asia, North America, Europe and Latin America.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2026/1/13/bts-to-bring-upcoming-world-tour-to-manila-in-march-2027-2317"><strong>READ: BTS to bring upcoming world tour to Manila in March 2027<br/></strong></a></div><p>Tickets for shows in South Korea, North America and Europe sold out within hours.</p><p>For fans unable to secure entry for the March 21 show, the centerpiece of the comeback is a <a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/music/2026/2/3/netflix-to-stream-bts-gwanghwamun-show-drop-album-documentary-0909"><strong>Netflix livestream</strong></a> broadcasting the entire event to around 190 countries.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/P_UEke5GTAM?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><strong></strong><br/></div>

<p>BTS, the world's biggest boy band, reunites on stage on Saturday in a K-pop extravaganza watched by hundreds of thousands of fans in downtown Seoul and by millions around the planet online.</p>

BTS, the world's biggest boy band, reunites on stage on Saturday in a K-pop extravaganza watched by hundreds of thousands of fans in downtown Seoul and by millions around the planet online.

Kings of K-pop: What to know about BTS' comeback

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Kings of K-pop: What to know about BTS' comeback

Agence France-Presse,

Kang Jin-kyu

Published March 19, 2026 03:45 PM PHT

Read More:

K-content

K-pop

BTS

BTS comeback

Arirang

ARMY

South Korea

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