The performance at Gwanghwamun Square launches a months-long global tour spanning dozens of shows across the US<\/a>, Europe<\/a> and Asia<\/a>.<\/p>\n All seven members of the band \u2013 RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin<\/a>, V and Jung Kook \u2013 recently completed South Korea<\/a>\u2019s mandatory military service, and hope to reclaim their status as one of the world’s biggest pop acts.<\/p>\n The hour-long concert comes a day after the group released its fifth album, \u201cARIRANG\u201d, which had already logged several million preorder sales since January. <\/p>\n The band\u2019s management company, Hybe, said RM injured his ankle during a rehearsal Thursday but was expected to perform with some limitations.<\/p>\n Officials expect the BTS<\/a> concert to draw more than 200,000 people to the Gwanghwamun area, including 22,000 fans who secured free seats in the designated viewing zone and others planning to watch on screens nearby. It will be streamed live on Netflix<\/a>. <\/p>\n BTS debuted in 2013 and has a legion of global supporters who call themselves the \u201cArmy\u201d. It became the first K-pop act to top Billboard\u2019s Hot 100 chart in 2020 with their first all-English song \u201cDynamite\u201d.<\/p>\n Jung Dukhyun, a pop culture commentator, said that the impact of the BTS returning as a full-group after years of pause would be tremendous at a time when global fandom for K-pop has grown much stronger, as shown by the success of Netflix\u2019s animated sensation, \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d.<\/p>\n Police and city officials are imposing stringent crowd-control measures, closing nearby streets, roads and museums, halting the area\u2019s subway and bus services, and sealing off dozens of surrounding buildings, in what amounts to a full-day shutdown of the district. <\/p>\n Cars will be barred from the main road between Gwanghwamun and Seoul<\/a> City Hall for more than 30 hours through Sunday morning. The government has stepped up anti-terror monitoring, citing global tensions and large crowds of international fans, while police deployed surveillance vehicles and jamming equipment to block unauthorised drones. The restrictions have forced nearby shops to close and deliveries to pause.<\/p>\n “The City of Seoul will do its best to make it \u200bflexible – to make (the performance) both safe and enjoyable,” said Seoul mayor Oh Se-hoon on Thursday as he checked safety measures put in place.<\/p>\n While South Korean officials have taken crowd safety more seriously since a deadly 2022 Halloween surge that killed nearly 160 people, critics say the controls are excessive and undercut the symbolism of performing in Gwanghwamun, seen as Seoul\u2019s spiritual heart and most prominent gathering space.<\/p>\n Hundreds of thousands have gathered in Gwanghwamun in recent years to mourn, protest and celebrate as the country weathered tragedy and political upheaval. The BTS concert comes about a year after waves of demonstrators filled the area, calling for the ouster of then-President Yoon Suk Yeol<\/a> over his brief imposition of martial law in December 2024. Those months-long rallies were marked by a festive atmosphere and a striking blend of politics and pop culture, with protesters singing and waving colorful K-pop light sticks, and ended without major safety accidents.<\/p>\n The new BTS album, \u201cARIRANG\u201d, draws on a centuries-old folk song regarded as an unofficial anthem in both North and South Korea while Gwanghwamun and nearby Gyeongbok Palace form a sweeping historic backdrop to Saturday\u2019s show.<\/p>\n South Korean officials are counting on the event to promote the country\u2019s culture and growing soft power. In a statement Wednesday, President Lee Jae Myung<\/a> said the BTS performance would provide \u201ca special moment that people around the world will remember for long.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhile one pillar of the album is defined by BTS\u2019 identity, the other is shaped by the emotions they feel in the present, specifically universal sentiments such as joy, pleasure, and profound love,\u201d Hybe said in response to questions from The Associated Press.<\/p>\n The 14-track record, with lead single \u201cSWIM,\u201d was recorded in Los Angeles<\/a> as the group reconvened after years apart. <\/p>\n![\"Fan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/South_Korea_BTS_Photo_Gallery_65831.jpg\")
Fan of K-pop band BTS in front of a logo of BTS in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 16, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n![\"Jang](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/South_Korea_BTS_Fan_Pilgrimage_29952.jpg\")
Jang Young Kun, owner of Yoojung Sikdang, poses for a photo at his restaurant in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Juwon Park) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n![\"People](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/South_Korea_BTS_Concert_68119.jpg\")
People pass by a banner for BTS ahead of a comeback concert of the K-pop band near Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ahn Young-joon) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)<\/p>\n![\"File.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/South_Korea_BTS_Concert_63598.jpg\")
File. Korean group BTS appears at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. (Photo by Jordan Strauss\/Invision\/AP, File)<\/p>\n
![\"Yumika](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/South_Korea_BTS_Photo_Gallery_90741.jpg\")
Yumika Ueno, a Japanese fan of K-pop band BTS, poses for a photo with her painted nails showing the names of BTS members at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo\/Lee Jin-man) (Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)<\/p>\n