{"id":504864,"date":"2026-02-26T07:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504864\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T07:46:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T07:46:14","slug":"as-bts-announces-arirang-festival-army-brings-the-confetti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/504864\/","title":{"rendered":"As BTS announces \u2018Arirang\u2019 festival, ARMY brings the confetti"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Merchandise <\/p>\n

Merchandise of J-Hope is displayed at Haeri Coffee in eastern Seoul on Feb. 18, the BTS member\u2019s birthday. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

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The countdown has begun. As BTS gears up for its first post-military release, \u201cArirang,\u201d Seoul is buzzing with anticipation for what is expected to be one of K-pop\u2019s biggest comebacks yet \u2014 and so are the septet\u2019s devoted fans, ARMY.
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Known for their dedication, ARMY has already started the party. The celebratory mood is taking hold, with fans themselves at the helm, organizing their own events in eager anticipation of welcoming their favorite group back.
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\"BTS <\/p>\n

BTS performs at the “Permission to Dance on Stage – Seoul” concert held at the Jamsil Stadium in Songpa District, southern Seoul, on March 10, 12 and 13 in 2022. [BIGHIT MUSIC] <\/p>\n

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\u201cThis is BTS\u2019s first post-military group comeback, so I\u2019m obviously really excited,\u201d said Kim Hae-ri, who is running a cafe called Haeri Coffee in Seongsu, eastern Seoul. \u00a0
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On Feb. 18, her coffee shop near the Han River was adorned with a large photo of J-Hope, along with merchandise featuring him decorated across the cozy space. Often referred to as “birthday cafes,” such events are part of K-pop fan culture. Fans typically collaborate with local coffee shops to hand out fan-made merchandise and small gifts to celebrate an idol’s birthday, but as Kim, both a business owner and a devoted ARMY, organized the celebratory event on her own to mark the rapper\u2019s birthday.
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An image of J-Hope is displayed at Haeri Coffee in eastern Seoul on Feb. 18 in celebration of the BTS member\u2019s birthday. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs an ARMY, I wanted to show my support and make my contribution [for the comeback],\u201d she said.
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\u201cI had my baby around the time of J-Hope\u2019s military discharge,\u201d Kim added with a smile, recalling the BTS member\u2019s return in October 2024. \u201cSo I\u2019ve been waiting for the comeback with my baby, who is now 16 months old.\u201d
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Kim is one of many excited fans counting down the days. BTS is set to release its fifth full-length album, \u201cArirang,\u201d on March 20. The album marks the group\u2019s first new album release in three years and nine months since the anthology album \u201cProof\u201d (2022), which will be followed by a world tour spanning 34 cities for 82 shows.
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\"A <\/p>\n

A pedestrian takes a photo of a promotional sign for BTS’s fifth full-length album set to release in March, at Jongno District, central Seoul, on Jan. 22. [NEWS1]<\/p>\n

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As the clock ticks down to the historic comeback, BigHit Music, BTS\u2019s agency, is pulling out all the stops with a global promotional campaign.
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Seongsu, the trendy neighborhood where Haeri Coffee is located, has become one of several landmarks worldwide showcasing promotions for \u201cArirang\u201d under the slogan, \u201cWhat is your love song?\u201d
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At COEX in southern Seoul, a wall of roses with the phrase was installed on Valentine\u2019s Day, followed by a surprise flower giveaway event for ARMY. The slogan has also appeared on billboards in New York and London.
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\"A <\/p>\n

A promotional display for BTS\u2019s upcoming full-length album, \u201cArirang,\u201d featuring the phrase \u201cWhat is your love song?\u201d arranged in flowers at COEX in southern Seoul on Feb. 14. [BIGHIT MUSIC]<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A promotional campaign for \u201cWhat Is Your Love Song?,\u201d part of BTS\u2019s upcoming fifth full-length album, \u201cArirang,\u201d is displayed outside a building in eastern Seoul on Feb. 19. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

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Fans, meanwhile, are organizing their own large-scale support projects.
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Multiple crowdfunding initiatives are underway among fans on social media to run ad campaigns on billboards across Seoul around the time of the comeback. A team dubbed Jungkook Supporters, for instance, is planning an ad campaign from March 19 to 21 on media facades at three major locations around the Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, where BTS is scheduled to hold its comeback show on March 21. Similar projects for other members are also in progress, turning the city into a festival venue for BTS.
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\"A <\/p>\n

A promotional image for an ad campaign organized by Jungkook Supporters, set to run on digital billboards around Gwanghwamun Square from March 19 to 21 ahead of BTS\u2019s comeback show on March 2 [SCREEN CAPTURE]<\/p>\n

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Of course, fans overseas are gearing up as well, as BTS prepares to embark on what is billed as the biggest tour yet by a K-pop act, which will kick off with three shows at Goyang Stadium in Gyeonggi on April 9, 11 and 12.
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Some are already organizing \u201cslogan events,\u201d a K-pop tradition in which concertgoers hold up coordinated paper banners with heartfelt messages for the artists. One fan base account, BTS Galaxy Belgium, has opened submissions for ideas for its fan-led project ahead of BTS\u2019s Brussels concerts on July 1 and 2 at King Baudouin Stadium. \u00a0
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Back in Seoul, popular \u201cBTS pilgrimage\u201d sites are also preparing for an influx of visitors ahead of the group\u2019s return. Yoojung Sikdang in southern Seoul \u2014 a restaurant that the members frequented during their trainee days \u2014 and Superstar Tteokbokki, located near HYBE headquarters and run by a devoted ARMY, have put up \u201cArirang\u201d banners in support of BTS\u2019s upcoming comeback outside their storefronts. \u00a0
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\"A <\/p>\n

A fan of BTS poses with a group photo of the band during the annual 2025 BTS Festa celebrating the BTS’ debut anniversary in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on June 13, 2025. [AP\/YONHAP]<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe members have been pursuing their respective solo careers, gaining greater influence and artistic depths,\u201d said a woman in her 50s surnamed Cho, who was visiting Superstar Tteokbokki on Friday. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to the kind of synergy they\u2019ll create now that each has become a superstar in his own right.\u201d
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Cho, an ARMY since 2018, said she likely won\u2019t be able to attend the Gwanghwamun Square performance in person but plans to tune in on Netflix.
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\u201cIt\u2019ll be nice to see their faces up close through Netflix,\u201d she said. \u201cI just hope there aren\u2019t any technical issues.\u201d
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\"A <\/p>\n

A banner supporting BTS’s upcoming fifth full-length album, \u2033Arirang,\u2033 stands outside Yoojung Sikdang in southern Seoul, known for being a restaurant which the BTS members frequented during their trainee days, on Feb. 19. [SHIN HA-NEE]<\/p>\n

BY SHIN HA-NEE [[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Merchandise of J-Hope is displayed at Haeri Coffee in eastern Seoul on Feb. 18, the BTS member\u2019s birthday.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":504865,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[64,63,134,136],"class_list":["post-504864","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=504864"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/504864\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/504865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=504864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=504864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=504864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}