BTS

BTS will be extending its comeback celebrations beyond the stage and into Seoul itself as it transforms the city into a massive, immersive cultural venue this spring. “BTS The City Arirang Seoul,” launching March 20 and running through April 12, is a citywide project marking the release of BTS' fifth album “Arirang,” agency Big Hit Music announced Thursday. The event will also follow the group's comeback show, “BTS Comeback Live: Arirang,” set for Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul. “In collabo

BTS is preparing to transform Seoul into a citywide cultural playground as part of its “ARIRANG” comeback, bringing music, art and large-scale media installations to iconic locations across Seoul. The K-pop group is set to release its fifth studio album, “ARIRANG,” on March 20, with a massive comeback performance at Gwanghwamun scheduled for the same day. On Friday, BigHit Music announced a new immersive program titled “BTS The City Arirang Seoul,” which will run from March 20 to April 12 and turn major parts of the city into a multilayered fan experience. On March 20, the day the album is released, key landmarks — including Sungnyemun and N Seoul Tower — will light up with large-scale media facades. At Sungnyemun, modern media art will be projected onto the historic gate, creating a symbolic visual blend of tradition and technology aimed at connecting global audiences with Korea’s cultural heritage. Additional events are planned at Yeouido Han River Park, where a lounge-style program will invite fans to relax, gather and enjoy BTS’ music through March 22. In April, t

K-pop supergroup BTS will hold a "The City" cultural project at key sites in the Korean capital to mark its highly anticipated return after a nearly four-year hiatus, the group's agency BigHit Music announced Friday. The event, titled "BTS The City Arirang Seoul," will run from March 20 to April 12, featuring a 23-day program combining music, media art, and urban installations. The seven-member act is set to release its fifth studio album, "Arirang," named after the famous Korean folk song, on March 20. It will be its first release since "Proof" in June 2022 and the first since all members completed their mandatory military service. The group is scheduled to hold a free concert the following day to mark the reunion at Gwanghwamun Square in central Seoul, where organizers expect approximately 150,000 to 200,000 fans to gather. On the day of the new release, the city's major landmarks, including the Sungnyemun gate and Seoul Tower, will light up a large-scale media facade. "Adding contemporary media expressions to cultural heritage sites like Sungnyemun will present symbolic scenes where t

SEOUL, Feb. 6 (Yonhap) -- K-pop supergroup BTS will hold a "The City" cultural p...

With a little more than a month left until BTS’ historic return to the stage, Seoul is already feeling the heat. The group’s concert on March 21 at Gwanghwamun Square — their first full-member performance in over three years — has sent ripple effects through Seoul’s hospitality, retail and aviation industries, with nearby luxury hotels booked out and even budget motels hiking rates to nearly 500,000 won ($344) a night. Hotel industry data and tourism platforms show that the “BTS effect” is alrea

With the confirmation that BTS will hold a massive free concert to mark its comeback at Gwanghwamun Square and the adjacent royal palace on March 21, attention is now shifting to how the K-pop megastars will use the historic backdrop for the spectacle. Current predictions suggest a performance that dramatically fuses Korean traditional heritage with state-of-the-art stage production. According to the music industry and Seoul city officials Wednesday, discussions are under way for an opening sequence of "BTS The Comeback Live: Arirang" set to begin at 8 p.m. that day. The seven members are expected to appear from within the palace grounds, walking through Geunjeongmun and Heungnyemun gates before exiting through the main Gwanghwamun Gate with the three major southern gates of Gyeongbok Palace thrown open, according to the sources. This scenario is supported by reports that the group has secured approval to utilize these three gates as well as the "woldae" — a restored ceremonial stage located in front of the main gate, historically used by kings of the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910) for ro

SEOUL, Feb. 4 (Yonhap) -- With the confirmation that BTS will hold a massive fre...

The soon-to-be-released album from BTS amassed 3 million presaves on Spotify as of Wednesday. Its fifth full album “Arirang” has remained atop the platform's Countdown Chart Global for two weeks. The album will be available on March 20, a much-hyped return of the septet as a full group after more than 3 1/2 years away from the music scene. Fans have been listening to its old songs on repeat, pushing a number of them past milestones. “Yet To Come” from anthology album “Proof” and “Love Maze” from