{"id":735709,"date":"2026-06-14T06:59:18","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T06:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/735709\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T06:59:18","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T06:59:18","slug":"bts-marks-13th-anniversary-with-emotional-busan-homecoming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/735709\/","title":{"rendered":"BTS marks 13th anniversary with emotional Busan homecoming"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BTS BTS performs during their \u201cArirang\u201d tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, Saturday. (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n

BUSAN \u2014 BTS wrapped up a two-day concert in Busan on Saturday that felt less like another stop on its ongoing \u201cArirang\u201d world tour and more like a homecoming years in the making.<\/p>\n

The second and final night, held at Busan Asiad Main Stadium on the group\u2019s 13th debut anniversary, June 13, drew approximately 110,000 fans. The sold-out two-day run attracted a combined audience of about 220,000.<\/p>\n

The concerts marked BTS\u2019 first return to Busan since 2022\u2019s \u201cYet To Come in Busan,\u201d a performance remembered as the group\u2019s final concert before all seven members enlisted for mandatory military service.<\/p>\n

The show was scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. but was delayed by about 20 minutes due to technical issues. As fans waited, they filled the stadium with chants of the members\u2019 names and waves of purple Army Bomb light sticks. The delay came a day after Friday\u2019s concert experienced a one-hour-and-40-minute postponement due to crowd management issues.<\/p>\n

\"BTS BTS performs during their \u201cArirang\u201d tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, Saturday. (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n

The concert opened with masked performers carrying torches onto the field before BTS emerged for \u201cHooligan,\u201d \u201cAliens\u201d and \u201cRun BTS.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBusan, make some noise!\u201d RM shouted as the crowd erupted.<\/p>\n

The significance of returning to Busan was not lost on the members. Jimin, who was born in the city, said he was happy to sing, dance and spend time with fans in his hometown, while V reflected on the many memories BTS had built there over the years.<\/p>\n

“June 13 only comes once,\u201d RM told the crowd. \u201cI hope you enjoy this 13th anniversary with us.\u201d<\/p>\n

The setlist balanced tracks from BTS\u2019 fifth LP \u201cArirang\u201d with fan favorites and global hits from across the group\u2019s catalog. Songs such as \u201cThey don\u2019t know \u2019bout us,\u201d \u201cLike Animals,\u201d \u201cFake Love,\u201d \u201cSwim,\u201d \u201cMerry Go Round\u201d and \u201c2.0\u201d showcased a group embracing its global stature while remaining firmly connected to its Korean roots.<\/p>\n

Traditional Korean imagery appeared throughout the production. Reimagined traditional masks appeared during \u201cThey don\u2019t know \u2019bout us,\u201d while visuals inspired by ink wash paintings accompanied \u201cNormal.\u201d \u201cNot Today\u201d incorporated the red-and-blue colors of the taegeuk symbol, while \u201cBody to Body\u201d featured choreography reminiscent of the traditional folk dance \u201cGanggangsullae.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BTS BTS performs during their \u201cArirang\u201d tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, Saturday. (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n

One of the night\u2019s highlights came with the first performance of the Korean version of \u201cNormal,\u201d which J-Hope introduced as a special stage prepared exclusively for the Busan concerts.<\/p>\n

Fans sang along loudly to \u201cMic Drop,\u201d \u201cButter,\u201d \u201cDynamite\u201d and \u201cIdol,\u201d while the entire stadium joined in the \u201cArirang\u201d refrain during \u201cBody to Body,\u201d creating one of the evening\u2019s most memorable moments.<\/p>\n

The emotional peak came during the members\u2019 closing remarks, as they reflected on 13 years together and thanked Army for helping BTS endure and grow.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019ve been able to make it this far because of you,\u201d Jin told fans. \u201cI\u2019m sincerely grateful to Army, and to the members as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"BTS BTS performs during their \u201cArirang\u201d tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, Saturday. (Big Hit Music) <\/p>\n

Jungkook thanked fans for spending their precious time with the group and expressed his hope that BTS and Army could remain together for years to come, while Jimin shared that several of his former teachers were in attendance and thanked both them and fans for helping shape who he is today.<\/p>\n

The concert concluded with \u201cOne More Night\u201d and \u201cInto the Sun,\u201d bringing to a close a night that celebrated not only BTS\u2019 latest chapter, but also a return to the city where one chapter of its story ended and another began.<\/p>\n

lee.jungjoo@heraldcorp.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BTS performs during their \u201cArirang\u201d tour at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium in Busan, Saturday. (Big Hit Music)…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735710,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[49,48,75,341],"class_list":["post-735709","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-entertainment","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735709","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735709"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735709\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735709"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735709"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735709"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}